The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-19
TOLD OF BIRD AND A
LoTEMAKIN0, PoLFoAMY, AND
THEFr AMONG the sPABRoWr

ria Game In Ceut-ni Anioa-T-o Zion. n,
= shot and Three Lion. on One Trip
h'ohhrh Harding Dsvis's Rear and
Alligator Lore iscrsdited-R arlr Catch.
es OF Trout In New E~ngisnd-Carniv.
orous Observation-Disclosures OF Eers.
As lovers. the English sparrowe are rather
interesting to those not Too much preiud,ced
nvulnst them. This ia the time of wear
when they are most interesting. being now
ardent lovemakcrs, and the close observer will
notice their odd ways.
Like other lovers, the sparrow is more or less
Jealous. and many n fight II 20 be seen on house
tops these days between them, AM n demurc-
looking bird Is usually not far Off, waiting to
receive the attentions Of the victor. 4 few
nays AGO n pair of sparrows were seen In n
brooklyn street acting in n curious way. The
male bird would hop along. with his feathers
out Ike a turkey cock. and dragging the tips
OF his wings on the ground. The female bird
was alongside, and was Caressing the feathers
on his back with her bill. 1t was no wonder
that he was vain, for she was q right trim
looking bird. Both birds were apparently
talking TO each other, and the chirruping was
less loud than usual.
The sparrow is very often n polygnmous bird.
One had four wives last year up near l"5th
~ ~ A'hh - oNN . "a
long. narrow box had been laid on Its side in a
rear yard and three partitions put in.
In each Of the pigeonholes the sparrow had q
wife. each wife raised II brood, and all the
birds seemed to live amlcably together.
Some of the sparrows are thieves and scoun-
drels. 1t Is related that several industrious
sparrows were building nests close together in
q sparrow tenement house. One of the birds.
a female, saw one of her neighbors bring a big
IA 81 .I -. 4. - IL
showing the other birds what a fine prize he
had found. He went away. after viewing the
most with satisfaction, to get more material.
The female bird next door, as soon rs he was
out Of sight, went into his apartment and took
the feather out. She was a knowing bird. She
did rot take the feather and put 1t into her nest
at once. Instead she few with 1t to IA nearby
tree. and securely fastened 1t in the forks OF
n branch. out OF sight. Then the bird took a
straw and began ~treading it into her nest.
Pretty soon back came the cock sparrow with
q string, and bustlei into his apartment to
build more into his nest. lie dropped the
string with an angry chirrup. and went into the
next apartment with a rush. Out came the
her apartment she scolded and stamped. plainly
telling him ID get out, that she wasn't that
honest Indignation. When he flow away after
the unsuccessful, search, she chirrnpped. after
got tho feather and mh' moulded a d i, into s,s" ne est.
The nature Of Il sparrow tight may be Judged
from the fact that several instanccs are on
record In which cock birds fought in the vicin-
iv OF iron foundries and continued to struggle
with each other even while t~reading on Stag so
hot that their feathers were sipged and feet
burned. The city cats know the v,gor with
which these birds fight. and when they see such
q combat make a quick sneak and often get
both birds.
Sometimes sparrows build remarkable nests.
In the outskirts of cities are occasionally
found big waspS' nests hanging from tree
branches. Sparrow nests have been found In
them, but whether the sparrows came before
the wasps deserted the nest or not Is not
known. Years ago. in England, before the
snalrows took to the hedges, they made nests
with domes, overhead. When the sparrows
were first brought to the United States. at
Springfield, Mass. they took AN old robins
nest and built a cupula over 1t a foot high and
raised n brood in it. What the naturalists
would like to know is. was it instinct, tradi-
ton. or reason. that made these birds, under
strange conditions. make u nest the like OF
which they had not made, to mans knowledge,
within a hundred years. They do not build
such nests now because they have learned that
they are unnecessary.
Should sparrows persist in building nests in
troublesome places. a smooth-bore ~ calibre
pistol. loaded with smokeless powder and No.
IL. shot would kin them. and IA policeman half
a block away would not know it. The pistol
would have an effective range of ten yards.
An air rifle also will serve to kill them.