sparret

and v. An obsolete form of spar1. sparrer (spär'er), practises boxing. Philip, vii. sparrow (spar'ō), n. n. One who spars; one who Thackeray, Adventures of [ spare we, spar we, Goth. sparwa, a sparrow; prob. from the root of spur, spurn, 'kick, quiver': see spur. Cf. MD. sparwer, sperwer, D. sperwer = MLG. spar wer, sperwer = OHG. sparwari, sparwāri, MHG. sperwære, sparwære, G. sperber (cf. It. sparviere, sparaviere = Pr. esparvier = OF. espervier, F. épervier, in ML. sparvarius, spa raver i us, esparvarius, field bordered with gray; and the lower parts are ashy or gray, with jet-black on the throat, spreading on the breast, and bordered on the side of the neck with white. The female is similar, but more plainly feathered, lack ing the distinctive head-markings of the male foo The sparrow is a conirostral granivorous bird, whose is principally seeds and grain, yet it has been introduced in many countries for the purpose of destroying noxious insects. It is extremely hardy, pugnacious, and prolific, rearing several large broods annually. Of all birds the sparrow naturally attaches itself most closely to man, and easily modifies its habits to suit artificial conditions of environment. It is thus one of several animals, as rats, mice, and other vermin, well fitted to survive under what ever conditions man may offer or enforce; hence it wins in competition with the native birds of the foreign countries where it naturalizes, without as readily developing counteractive agencies to check its increase. It speedily becomes a pest wherever introduced, and seldom destroys noxious insects to any appreciable extent. It was brought into the United States from Germany about 1869, and is now probably more numerous than any single native bird. In New York city you sands of sparrows are sold and eaten as reed-birds. See cut under Pa er2. 2. Some or any fringilline bird resembling the sparrow, as Pa er montan us, the tree-sparrow; one of various finches and buntings, mostly of plain coloration. In the United States the name is given, with a qualifying word, to very many small sparrowlike birds, mostly of homely streaked coloration. Chipping or field-sparrows belong to the genus Spizella; crown-sparrows to Zonotrichia; fox-sparrows to Pa e rella; gra hopper-sparrows to Coturniculus; the gra sparrow to Poœcetes; the lark-sparrow to Chondestes; sage sparrows to Amphispiza; savanna-sparrows to Pa er culus; seaside sparrows to Ammodromus; snow-sparrows to Junco; song-sparrows to Melospiza. See cuts under Chondestes, Coturniculus, Embernagra, field -sparrow, gra finch, sage-sparrow, savanna-sparrow, snowbird, and song-sparrow.