PASSER. — ISrONTIFRINGILLA. 165 



It is a domestic bird in its habits there, and is quite common in 

 the station, while out in the woods I have not noticed it." 



In shape the eggs are tj^pically very perfect, moderately-elongated 

 ovals, scarcely compressed or pointed at either end. They vary a 

 good deal in appearance; many closely resemble common varieties 

 of those of the House-Sparrow, having the ground-colour white, 

 greyish, or greenish white, more or less thickly speckled, spotted, 

 streaked, or blotched \\ith various shades of bro\A'n, chiefly sepia- 

 brown. In this type of egg the markings are generally densest at 

 the large end, where they are often more or less confluent, and 

 even form a broad, irregular, mottled cap. Others again closely 

 resemble the eggs of P.flavicollis, and are so densely streaked and 

 smeared all over with sepia-brown as to leave little of the ground- 

 colour visible. A third type has the ground-colour a faintly 

 brownish gi'ey, and exhibits a well-marked zone of dark sepia- 

 brown about the large end, and only a few specks, spots, and 

 streaks of the same colour scattered over the rest of the surface of 

 the egg. In size they do not vary much, viz., only from 0-72 to 

 0-8 in length, and from 0-55 to 0-65 in breadth; but the average 

 of twenty-eight eggs is 0"76 by 0'57. 



It will be seen, therefore, that, as Captain Cock remarks, they 

 average considerably smaller than those of the House-Sparrow. 



781. Passer flaveolus, Blyth. The Pegu Ilouse-Sparroiu. 

 Passer flaveolus, Bl.^ Htime, Rough Draft N. Sf E. no. 708 bis. 



Writing from Thayetmyo, Mr. Gates remarks : — " The Pegu 

 House-Sparrow is nearly as common as P. domesticus. It is, how- 

 ever, more of a Bush-Sparrow, generally building its nest in trees ; 

 one pair indeed built a nest in my house, but as soon as it was 

 fnn'shed the birds left the place." 



He subsequently remarked that he found a nest of this Sparrow 

 in the roof of the verandah of the AYanetkone bungalo\\', in 

 Southern Pegu, in March with young birds. 



785. Montifringilla adamsi, Moore. Adams's Mountain- 

 Finch. 



Montifriugilla adamsi, Moore, Hume, Rough Draft N. ^' E. no. 

 752 ter. 



Dr. Adams tells us that he found his Mountain- Pinch " conunon 

 on the bare and barren mountains of Ladakh and Little Thibet, 

 and feeding on the seeds of the few plants found in these desolate 

 and dreary-looking mountains. Its cry is like that of a Lark, and 

 its habits on the ground are very similar. The nest is composed 

 of grass, and generally placed in the long dykes, built by the 

 Tai'tars over their dead, so frequently to be seen in that country." 



