I have received the copy-edits of The Albatross, and so posting may be light for a while. As always, I do my best. Meanwhile, in Dobrzyn, Hili tries to use her feline wiles on Andrzej:
Hili: Are there domesticated sparrows?A; No, there aren’t.Hili: Pity, it would be nice to have a little sparrow in the house.
in Polish:
Hili: Czy są udomowione wróble?
Ja: Nie ma.
Hili: Szkoda, miło by było mieć w domu wróbelka.
Hili is clearly pondering on the origins of the house sparrow’s scientific name – Passer domesticus. Such a clever cat.
Isn’t it that they build their nests in the eaves or roof-lines of houses … or am I thinking of some other sparrow?
There’s certainly a non-extinct dinosaur which builds hemispherical nests of mud under the eaves of roofs. And naturally under branches, tree-hollows, overhanging rocks, I’d expect.