Laysan Albatrosses Swallow Indigestible Matter

Indian House Sparrow attacks grass snake.--On a cloudy after.noon in May 1966 I witness a determined encounter between a male House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and a grass snake (Natrix sp.).The snake, about 40 cm long, was crawling through a plot of fallow land when the House Sparrow suddenly attacked it and repeatedly pecked it on the head.The snake turned and tried to slip away, but the sparrow hopped along and continued pecking different parts of its victim's body.The snake then stopped, raised its head, and swayed back and forth, possibly to locate and threaten its attacker.The House Sparrow appeared frightened and retreated, but kept a watchful eye o.n the snake.After a while the snake continued toward a nearby bush.It had crawled only about a meter when the sparrow came hopping and resumed pecking it repeatedly from behind with the same vigor as before.The snake changed direction, but again failed to escape the agile bird.The scuffle continued for about 10 minutes until the snake finally managed to hide under a bush.It is a common belief that snakes destroy eggs and young birds, but the Indian House Sparrows commonly nest in crevices of walls and in ventilator holes 8 or more feet above ground, we]] beyond the reach of snakes.Moreover, I know of no record of a snake preying on House Sparrows.M. M. Nice (Trans.Linnaean Soc.New York, 6: 257, 1943) reported that one of her So•ng Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) once pecked at a garter snake 60 cm long when it crawled underneath its nest;another Song Sparrow craned its neck but showed no further alarm when a snake was released into its cage.The reaso.