
INTRODUCTION
ILLUSTRATIONS
Chapter I How I Came to Live in a House
Chapter II My First Week In-doors
Chapter III My Second Week in the House
Chapter IV My First Sand Bath
Chapter V On the Fessor’s Desk and My Hiding-Place
Chapter VI Preening my Feathers
Chapter VII Going Out of Doors
Chapter VIII On Fessor’s Bed
Narrated from the point of view of a tiny song‑sparrow, this gentle memoir invites listeners into a world where birds and people once shared a common language. The author weaves the philosophy of early naturalists with the intimate observations of a fragile creature, reminding us of the quiet kinship that bridges species. As the sparrow tells its own story, the listener is drawn into a tender meditation on vulnerability and compassion.
Born weak and oddly feathered, the chick—nicknamed Scraggles by its family—struggles to lift its trembling wings and faces scorn from its siblings. One day a kindly professor discovers the struggling bird and, seeing its frailty, gently brings it into his home, offering a warm perch on his desk and a safe corner on his bed. In the quiet rooms of the house, Scraggles learns the rhythms of indoor life, from sand baths to hidden nooks, while a subtle bond forms between bird and caretaker.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (65K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Bergquist, Matthew Wheaton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2013-03-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1858–1923
An English-born writer, lecturer, and photographer, he became one of the lively popular voices introducing readers to California and the American Southwest. His books mix travel, history, and close observation of landscapes and Native cultures that fascinated him throughout his career.
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