402 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



brown, or purplish chestnut ; length about 5.00-6.00, wing 2.80, or less, tail 

 2.40, or less. Nest in holes of trees, about isolated buildings, etc., essentially 

 similar to that of P. domesticus. Eggs 4-6, .78 X -55, similar to those of P. 

 domesticus, but averaging " smaller and usually darker and redder." (See- 

 BOHM.) Hab. Europe, etc. ; introduced into the United States, where it is 

 thoroughly naturalized in the vicinity of St. Louis, Mo. 



P. montanus (Linn.), European Tree-Sparrow.^ 



Genus PLECTROPHENAX Stejneqer. (Page 382, pi. CVII., fig. 5.) 



Species. 

 Common Characters. — Prevailing color white, the inner webs of tail-feathers 

 (except sometimes of two. middle pairs) entirely so. Adult males in summer with 

 head, neck, entire lower parts, lower back, rump, secondaries (except, sometimes, 

 tertials), and greater part of wing-coverts, entirely pure white ; back and scapulars 

 black or white ; bill entirely deep black. {In winter, the upper parts, sides of head, 

 and chest washed with rusty ; bill yellow, the extreme tip dusky.) Adult females 

 smaller than males, the upper parts entirely streaked, the wings with much less 

 white, etc. Young: Top of head, hind-neck, and back and rump dull grayish, 

 indistinctly streaked with darker; lower parts dull whitish, more or less tinged 

 anteriorly with grayish (sometimes uniformly grayish on throat, chest, etc.). Nest 

 on ground, composed of dried grasses, etc., lined with finer grasses and feathers. 

 Eggs whitish (varying from a dull purplish to a greenish tint), speckled, chiefly 

 on larger end, with various shades of brown, usually mixed with a few small black 

 markings. 



a\ Male with four to six, female with six middle tail-feathers entirely or chiefly 

 black or dusky ; upper tail-coverts black or dusky for whole of concealed 

 portion. Adult males with back, scapulars, alula, and much the greater part 

 of longer quills (both webs) black. Adult females with top of head, back, 

 scapulars, and lower back broadly streaked with black (this largely prevail- 

 ing), longer quills blackish or dusky quite to tips of primary coverts, lesser 

 and greater coverts dusky, tipped and margined with white, primary coverts 

 dusky, edged with white. Young with wing mostly dusky, only the mid- 

 dle coverts, tips of greater coverts and middle secondaries being white. 

 6^ Smaller, with much smaller bill. Male: Length about 6.50-7.00, wing 

 4.20-4.50 (4.38), tail 2.80-3.15 (2.90), culmen .40-.42 (.41), gonys .22- 

 .26 (.23). Female : Length about 6.00-6.50, wing 4.00-4.10 (4.06), tail 

 2.70-2.75 (2.74), culmen .39-.40 (.40), gonys .21-.23 (.22). Eggs .91 X 

 .64. Hah. Circumpolar regions, except islands in Bering's Sea; south, 

 in winter, to northern United States. 



534. P. nivalis (Linn.). Snowflake. 



1 Frinrjilla montana LiNN., S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 183. Passer montanus Koch, Baier. Zool. i. 1816, 219. 

 [A much less harmful species than P. domesticns, living mostly in suburbs and rural districts, where not 

 increasing abnormally, and but little destructive to grain and fruit-buds.] 



