THE HOUSE SPARROW. 159 



lighthouses on the Isle of May and the Fame Islands, 

 in spring and autumn.^ The well-known nest of the 

 Sparrow is large, domed, and generally composed of straw, 

 hay, and dry grass, lined with a profusion of feathers. 

 Mr. Hardy has been so good as to send me a note about 

 two nests at Penmanshiel, out of which he counted no 

 fewer than 742 feathers, besides sundry patches of hair 

 from the backs of cattle, thistle-down, and tufts of wool." 

 The nest is built in a great variety of situations, a favourite 

 spot beiug amongst the branches of roses, or other climbing 

 plants trained up the walls of houses.^ The eggs are usually 

 five or six in number, of a greenish white, blotched and 

 spotted with ash colour and dark brown. 



Pure white and piebald specimens of this bird are some- 

 times seen in the county. 



1 It was observed in Spring 1882 at Isle of May, 3rd March to 22nd May. 

 Autumn 1882. —Isle of May, October; Fames, 2nd Nov. Xote by lighthouse- 

 keeper: "Seldom seen here." Autumn 1884. — Isle of May, November to 

 December. Spring 1885. —Isle of May. — Reports on Migration of Birds, 

 1879-85. 



2 In another note about the Sparrow, Mr. Hardy says : " 5th August 1858. — 

 Barley is said to be already as hard in its progress towards ripening, that one 

 could shoot Sparroios with it." 



3 A very large colony of Sparrows breed in the walls of the old tower of 

 Evelaw, near Wedderlie, harbouring in the ivy which covers the eastern gable. 



