HOUSE SPARROW. 177 



them to death." (" Hatfield Chase.") Lindholme is about 

 three miles from Hatfield (Notes and Queries, Ser. i., Vol. viii., 

 p. 532). 



The choice of nesting sites is occasionally varied from the 

 usual one ; near Beverley eggs have been found in Sand 

 Martins' burrows, and in Cleveland I have seen nests placed 

 beneath those of Rooks in a rookery. Both birds and eggs 

 are subject to great variation ; of the latter a brown coloured 

 clutch, resembling those of a Skylark, found at Kirkleatham 

 on 8th June 1892, is one of the most unusual. As regards 

 varieties in plumage, there used to be a black breed at Leven 

 near Beverley ; the males were a deep blackish brown, so 

 nearly black as to be only distinguishable from that colour 

 when in the hand ; the hens a shade lighter, and the young 

 slaty black. The late W. W. Boulton had three sent in 1865, 

 which are now in the possession of Mr. F. Boyes {Zool. 1865, 

 p. 9531). Albino, white, pied, buff, and bluish coloured 

 examples are also met with, and are rather common near 

 Beverley ; at Northallerton a female, perfectly white, had a 

 white brood, one of which was captured. 



Early and late nesting is not uncommon with such a 

 prolific species, but one or two examples of each will suffice. 

 Eggs were found on 27th January 1874, and young were 

 recorded on 21st February 1846, near Huddersfield ; late in 

 the year the eggs have been seen in November 1874, whilst 

 on 12th December 1862 an egg was picked up on a pavement 

 in Leeds. 



Local vernacular names : — Spadge or Spadger are in general 

 use ; Spuggy is a Cleveland term ; it is Tile Sparrow at Don- 

 caster, and Collier at Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield. 



VOL. I. 



