238 FRIXGILLID-T,. 



Moulmein. This species ascends the Himalayas to moderate 

 elevations. It is capricious in its distribution, being rare in some 

 parts of the Empire and extremely common in others. 



The House-Sparrow to the eastward is found in Cochin-China, 

 and on the west it extends to Europe. 



Habits, Sfc. Breeds usually from February to May, but also at 

 other times of the year, making a shapeless nest of grass and 

 various materials in holes about houses, in walls, in wells, and 

 occasionally in some thick tree or shrub. The eggs, which are 

 usually five in number, are white or greenish marked with various 

 shades of brown, and measure about - 81 by "6. 



777. Passer pyrrhonotus. The Rufous-backed Sparrow. 



Passer pyrrhonotus, BlytK, J. A. & B. xiii, p. 946 (1844) ; id. Cat. 

 p. 119 ; Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 36o ; Hume, Cat. no. 709; Hume, S. F. 

 ix, pp. 232, 442 ; Doig, S. F. ix, p. 280 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xii, 

 p. 316, pi. v ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 266 ; Oates in Hume's N. ty E. 

 2nd ed. ii, p. 162. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the forehead, crown, 

 aud hind neck are ashy grey ; lores and under the eye blackish ; a 

 broad band behind the eye and ear-coverts chestnut, with ashy 

 fringes ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck ashy grey ; chin 

 and throat black, with whitish fringes, and bordered on both sides 

 by a broad whitish band ; lower plumage pale ashy, becoming 

 whiter on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; back chestnut, 

 fringed with fulvous, and the inner web of each feather with a 

 black streak ; lesser wing-coverts, scapulars, and rump chestnut 

 with ashy fringes ; median coverts almost entirely white ; greater 

 coverts blackish, edged with chestnut-brown ; quills dark brown, 

 edged with pale chestnut-brown ; rump aud upper tail-coverts 

 ashy ; tail brown, edged with dull fulvous. In the spring and 

 summer all the fringes on the various parts of the plumage get 

 worn away, and those parts become a dark uniform colour. 



Female. The whole upper plumage ashy brown, the feathers of 

 the back with black streaks on the inner web ; median wing-coverts 

 black, broadly tipped with pale buff ; the greater coverts blackish, 

 broadly edged with buff ; the quills dark brown edged with buff, 

 most broadly so at the base near the coverts ; tail brown, 

 narrowly edged with buff; a broad supercilium isabelline ; sides of 

 head ashy ; the entire lower plumage pale ashy white. 



Iris light brown ; eyelids leaden slaty ; legs and toes dusky 

 fleshy brown {Doig). In winter the bill is dusky brown, in summer 

 probably black. 



Length about 5-5; tail 2-1; wing 2-6; tarsus -65; bill from 

 gape -45, 



Distribution. Bahawalpur ; the Eastern Nara, Sind. 



Habits, fyc. Mr. Doig remarks that he never met with these 

 Sparrows at any distance from water, and that they were usually 

 seen in small flocks. Their food consists of seeds aud insects. 



