Some one who has a very tender spot in his heart has been writing to the Gardeners' Magazine a plea for the English Sparrow. Among other things he gets off the following :

"The love-call is certainly more of a chirp than a yelp, but it needs long and frequent observation to determine the varieties of sparrow language, as expressive of passion, alarm, or domestic felicity. In the early days of spring they will begin their courtship; then listen for the loud ' chirk, chirk,' and you may discover that it proceeds from the throat of a lusty cock in the full beauty of his wooing dress; the black on his head having the richness and depth of velvet, and his whole action as sleek and sprightly as becomes a gallant lover, rejoicing over the sober dame who is presently to become his bride. But, alas! the course of true love does not always run smooth. She may have cast a favorable glance upon another, or a bold rival may give the challenge to fight for the maiden's hand. Then the chirk ceases; a sharper note, more quickly repeated, and accompanied with fearful jerkings of the head and tail, impetuous hoppings from side to side, and a general displacement of those lately well-preened feathers, pronounce the quick approach of war. These love-battles are generally conducted on the principles of true chivalry. The rivals have it all to themselves; the conflict is short, sharp, and sanguinary, and the victor claims the subject of it for his bride.

The war-note is sounded by both parties throughout the fight, until the moment of conquest arrives, when the defeated gallant gets out of the way as quickly as his buffeted wings will carry him, and the champion returns to his chirking ten times louder than before. ' None but the brave deserve the fair.'

"Scarcely a day passes, where the colony is of any extent, without one of these sanguinary conflicts; but as the season progresses, and all the swains have won their wives, there is no fair excuse for their continuance. And here I must admit, to the damage of my client's character, that he prefers to make excuses for mischief, rather than live in the prosaic enjoyment of continual peace. Not that green-eyed jealousy ever shows its face in a sparrow's home. No! the connubial tie is never broken by infidelity; no duels arise because of faithless spouses or truant lords. For the sake of the favor with which every description of heroism, however romantic, is received, I could almost wish it were so : but I must confess with sorrow that all the subsequent disturbances are not for love, nor for principle, nor for political triumph, but for meat! The song which Leigh Hunt gives to the fairies might, leaving out the suggestion of ' stolen kisses,' be just as well given to our neighbors for their own national melody :

'Stolen sweets are always sweeter; Stolen kisses much completer; Stolen looks are nice in chapels; Stolen, stolen be your apples; Truth the fruit were scarce worth peeling, Were it not for stealing, stealing.'

"I must own that my client prefers ill-gotten to honest gain. When the liberal cook has strewn the yard with the débris of the bread-basket, and the pavement is spread like a groaning board with enough for all, there is sure to be more fighting than feeding; and the possessor of a pellet of bread will be pursued by an inveterate army of savage beaks and claws, all of which might have been better employed in helping themselves to the general bounty. But how different are these turmoils to the displays of true chivalry in early spring. Then the brave combatants met to utter mutual defiance, and fight it out. The battle was a test of bravery and power. Now it is a contemptible row, and nothing more; and Paddy's prescription for the enjoyment of Donnybrook is carried out to the full - ' Wherever you see ahead, hit it.' What a confusion of angry voices. What a yelping from the thick of the elder tree, the slope of the thatch, or the remote corner of the yard, where, as if by magic, half the company at least have got together in a scrimmage, and each separate sparrow is engaged without meaning in fighting all the rest. Political economy is evidently not a leading subject of study in the university of sparrows.

But who would not forget all this when nightfall comes again, and the evening song is repeated from every roof of the village, and from some two or three of the largest trees upon the green ? It ought to give enjoyment even to the most critical of musical ears, for it is the expression of content".