SPARROWS ARE generally ignored. They are a nuisance, they keep entering through one window and flitting out through another leaving their droppings here and there as proof of their love for the interiors.

They make nests in the cornices, nooks and comers, they dirty the surroundings and when they join to form  a bunch and start chirping on the open terraces or the balconies as a part of their midday kitty parties, the noise really gets on ones nerves.

A report has come from London. It seems one of these species of birds was responsible for a fire that gutted a shop and caused the owner to incur heavy losses.

While trying to ascertain the cause of the fire, the investigators were puzzled. There was no apparent cause for the fire like a short circuit or leak of gas or any other source of fire. However, they did discover a burnt sparrow nest in which there were nearly 40 cigarette butts.

This sparrow was certainly a very special one. It must have become addicted to the smell of burnt tobacco and must have gone about collecting cigarette butts from all over the countryside to decorate its nest high up in a tree.

Who knows, there might really be a species of sparrows with this special affinity and only this got burnt. It must have picked up a butt that was still smoldering.