The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
BIRD
There Are Few Birds bus VIII AID n Com
rnde In Distress.

Miss Marie Dobson reports from Brooklyn
that the sparrows have already begun nest
building in that city. In spite of snow and cold.
She was walking along Gates avenue on
March Is. when her attention was drawn to
a sparrow In the street which had a long black
fibre. probably IA horsehair or black thread.
In its bill. Will considerable effort II flew to
a nearby tree, In a fork # which appeared q
bunch of twigs, strings. and other ground
work OF q nest.
; For some reason. the bird had trouble with
the string as it tried to arrange 1t in the pr, p
err position for the nest. 1t. got very angry,
apparently. and began to chirp and scold.
Thereupon along came three other sparrows,
which at once took hold OF the string and to-
gether they moulded 1t into position.
Considering the recent weather, this is
early for the birds to DO mating and nest
building. but from the naturallsts' point of
view, the coming Of several sparrows to the
aid Of a troubled one Is OF far greater interest
than the early nesting; Cooperation Of birds
has been as yet but slightly observed, although
frequent instances of birds helping one another
are recorded In various papers on natural his.
tory. An eagle was once seen to dive mt and
seize q large cormorant in a Florida bay. Tho
rose, out of the water with 1t, endea voring to
fly, but tho prey was too heavy. and both birds
tow 1t toward shore. and very $500 soon its wing 70
movements told Of much fatigue. Then two
eagles that had been seated on n dead tree of
the mainland rose and went flying toward the
tired bird. 1t looked as II highway robbery
was going to DO committed, but IL wasn't.
One OF the newcomers took the place OF the
tired bird, and towed the dead one till tired.
Then its place was taken by the third bird.
BY the time the third bird was tired the first
was rested and took its turn again. When
the dead bird was finally gotten to shore, the
three Toasted together AS amicably as rows.
Another authentic story is that of q pair of
young and inexperienced swallows that were
In II hurry TO get II nest built In an old barn
up In Connecticut one spring. They hustled
and slapped the mud into place on the inside
Of the barn In a most careless, hasty sort of
way. and at last, along about . o'clock In the
afternoon, Just rs the finishing touches We're
being made, down IL dropped to the floor.
Both birds chirped mournfully. Soon the
male few out of the barn and away out of
sight, while the female sat on n beam discon-
ISOLATE. Pretty soon swallows began to arrive
until there were over forty-mOre than could
be counted present. They flew into the barn
few to a mud puddle near by and each took
n bill full of mud and went into the barn
to plaster II on where the collapsed nest had
been, and then returned for more. For two
hours there was n stream of ingOtng and out
going birds, and they ceased only when the nest,
q big substantial one, had been built and well
lined with soft stuff. What they said to the
young pair of swallows is not known, but next
morning the nest had an egg In II, showing
why there had been need OF haste.