A STRANGE SPARROW.
(To Tim ED/TOR Or TER " SPECTATOR:I Sin,—There is a Jenny Wren's nest on a bough of a cedar- tree in this garden. Noticing a female house-sparrow con- stantly flying towards the nest, my curiosity was aroused, and I decided to watch. To my astonishment I found the sparrow
was feeding the young ones ; only one wren, so far as I can ascertain, ever visits the nest. Is it possible that the sparrow knows by instinct that one parent is dead, and has therefore taken pity on the ground birds ? I should add that on one occasion when the wren approached the nest it found the sparrow inside, and was apparently much distressed, and for some time the sparrow refused to quit. As soon as it did the wren fed its young, and immediately flew away in search of
Rod ington Rectory, Shrewsbury, July 26th.
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