348 Birds of Colorado 



Aiken found one in a A^-illow at Limon, on the plains. 

 It is a somewhat flat structure, formed of twigs and root- 

 lets and well lined with fine rootlets and hairs ; the 

 eggs, three or four in number, are pale bluish-green, 

 speckled chiefly at the larger end with rusty-brown. 

 They measure about '65 x '45. 



Dille states that the Siskin nests in the lilac bushes 

 in the Denver suburbs ; he found three eggs laid between 

 May 13th and 17th. 



Genus PASSER. 



Rather small birds with a stout and deep bill in which the lines of 

 the culmen and the gonys are sUghtly convex, and the upper mandible 

 is slightly deeper than the lower ; nostrils concealed by the nasal plumes ; 

 wing moderately pointed, the difference between the primaries and 

 secondaries about equal to the tarsus ; tail about -75 the length of 

 wing, nearly even ; plumage without red or yellow ; wings white 

 barred. 



The genus is by nature confined to the Old World. Two species have 

 been introduced and one has spread over the greater part of North 

 America ; the other, the European Tree-Sparrow, seems to be confined 

 to the neighbourhood of St. Louis, Mo. 



English Sparrow. Passer domesticus. 



Colorado Pvecords— Lowe 95, p. 99 ; Cooke 97, pp. 99, 165, 213 ; 

 Keyser 02, p. 127 ; Henderson 03, p. 236 ; 09, p. 236 ; Warren 06, 

 p. 22 ; 08, p. 23 ; 09, p. 16 ; Oilman 07, p. 156 ; Markman 07, p. 157 ; 

 Rockwell 08, p. 171. 



Description. — Male — Crown dark grey bordered on either side by a 

 triangular postocular patch of dark chestnut ; back rufous-chestnut, 

 striped with black ; rump grey ; wings and tail dusky, with chestnut 

 edgings and tips, middle-coverts tipped with white ; below ashy, 

 becoming white on the centre ; a black patch covering the chin, throat 

 and upper-breeist ; bill black, feet hom-brown. Length 5-5 ; wing 

 3-0; tail 2-25 ; culmen -5 ; tarsus -70. 



The female has the crown and postocular region greyish-brown or 

 oUve, no black on the throat and is less brightly coloured ; bill 

 horny-brown. Young birds are like the female but soon acquire 

 the dusky throat. 



Distribution. — Europe, except Italy ; introduced into America, 

 AustraUa and many other parts of the world and thoroughly naturalized. 

 Said to have been first brought to Portland, Maine, in 1858 ; established 



