The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-10-08
SPARROW AGAINST CAT.
How q Little Creature Was Saved from
AvarIoious Maws.

AvarIoious Maws.
was sitting at my desk one morning
not long ago when my attention was sud
denly arrested by the loud screaming of a
sparrow proceeding from the yard of an
unoccupied house to the rear of mine. The
cries were responded to by at least fifty Of
her companions who answered her call by
such prodigious chatter that the whole
neighborhood was aroused. The cause OF
this disturbance was this: One of the eel
lar windows was protected by wire graf
ing, which in some way had become loose
at the top; through this opening, in a
moment of recklessness, had fallen a
young sparrow while taking its first les
sons in learning how to fly
Now this yard, the house being empty,
has all summer long been the rendezvous
for several large cats When the sparrow
fell into the window he found a glass shut
ter behind him, and WAS thus prisoner
Two of the cats saw his futterngs to get
out and at once made a fierce rush for the
window grating, and although they fright
ened almost to death young Mr.. Sparrow,
who had never seen the wicked eyes and
spiteful teeth of cat before in his Ike.
they could not get Mt him with their wick
ed claws. But his danger was very real
to the mother bird, and it was her cry of
distress that brought her feathered friends
to her help and rescue. And how did they
set about it, do you thinkf
Veal know that the sparrow-the feath-
cred street arabs not only an impudent
little fellow, but exceedingly pugilistic
and courageous Upon this occasion two
large male sparrows at once alighted upon
the yard pavement, and not more than
font ma frAVf h.a .,atu no.
still intent upon the iluttering youngster
behind the window grating. Then the
mother bird fluttered in the air Just over
the cats, screaming and scolding and being
answered vehemently by all her friends.
The two sparrows on the pavement kept
hopping about dangerously near to the
cats, chirping and scolding also. Their
little game of course was to distract the
cats attention from the young birds, and
this they succeeded in doing SO well that
the cats alternately chased them and then
attacked the bird behind the bars.
This performance was continued off and
on for two whole days, the cats giving up
the contest from time to time. "When the
cat is away, the mice will play" the old
saying goes. In this case, when the cats
were away, the mother bird flew in behind
the grating and fed her offspring, and also
gave him lessons in flying until the young
bird could fly high enough to reach the
opening he had originally fallen through
and then assisted by the parent birds he
managed to reach a vine that trailed from
the fence to the extension windows, and sc
he was saved.
Don't give up the shipl" were the dying
words of the immortal Lawrence on board
of the Chesapeake. Don't give up the
birdp was the motto of Mr. and Mrs. Spar
row, and right gallantly did they wag,
their battle for their offspring. Next time
that youngster goes flying he must beware
of cats, and not fall down behind cellar
windows without his parents permission
Harry p. Mawson in Harper's Young
People,