IT was kind of Thelma Edwards (Letters, November 15) to share memories of her "sparrow" grandparents in response to Lesley Duncan’s choice of Norman MacCaig’s Sparrows.

Coincidentally, after my morning coverage of the Letters Pages I witnessed a wee cock sparra chirpin’ awa on the shank o’ my barra which remains outdoors prior to its winter hibernation, bringing back memories of actor and comedian Duncan Macrae (1905-1967), and his Hogmanay party piece The Wee Cock Sparra which sat on a barra.

R Russell Smith,

96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.