FRINGILLIDyE. 



33 



Mountain, or Tree Sparrow. House, or Common Sparrow. 



Head. — Chestnut or chocolate- Head. — Bluish grey ; cheeks and 



coloured ; a triangular patch of sides of the neck grey- white. 

 black on the cheek. 



Bill. — Rather more slender. Bill. — Thicker, but of the same 



colour as the Tree Sparrow. 



Genej'al size, — Smaller; the General size. — Rather larger, 

 female bird is smaller than the 

 male, measuring about 5| inches 

 in length, while the measurement 

 of the male is 5I inches. 



Legs, toes, and claws. — Pale Legs, toes, and claws. — A deeper 



brown. brown. 



House Sparrow {Passer doinesticits). The com- 

 monest of all birds, and the most independent, seeming 

 as 'jolly' when the snow lays thick upon the ground, 

 as on a bright summer's morning. A London Sparrow 

 cannot aspire to the same bright colours which adorn 

 the country bird, for the smoke of the metropolis 

 soon turns the brown feathers black, and the white, 

 grey. And after all I do not think a country Spar- 

 row is so very ugly, though he is despised and per- 

 secuted by all, and shot unrelentingly by those 

 abominable Sparrow Clubs. 



The House Sparrow is very subject to variations 

 in plumage, albinoes or pied varieties being the most 

 usual. In the autumn of 1865, a white specimen 

 was killed near Clewer, and was taken for preservation 

 to Mr. Hall, of Windsor; and in December, 1867, 

 another white one was often observed feeding with 

 the common species in Clewer village. A v/hite 

 sparrow was shot at Colnbrook, in 1866, and was 



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