266 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



amongst the loose sticks under Books' uests, iu old 

 Magpies' uests, Pigeon cotes, on ledges and almost 

 any situation capable of accommodating a few straws 

 and feathers. I know several small villas in the 

 North of London with globular cast-iron ornaments 

 on their summits ; into these the Sparrows have 

 found their way and turned them to account as 

 nesting sites. I once met w^ith a colony in a low 

 whitethorn hedge, quite away from any houses 

 whatever, and have counted as many as tw^enty-six 

 nests in the branches of a single tree. Our illus- 

 tration represents one of two Pigeon cotes, stand- 

 ing close together, out of which over two hundred 

 Sparrows' eggs w^ere taken during the spring and 

 summer of 1894. 



Materials. — Straw, hay, bits of string, moss, 

 worsted, and cotton rags, w^ool and hair, with a 

 liberal inner lining of feathers. Where the nest is 

 under cover it is not so bulky, and is open at the 

 top, as a rule ; but wliere it is exposed it is covered, 

 bulkier, and better constructed, with a hole in the 

 side, and generally near the top. 



Eggs. — Four to seven, generally five or six, pale 

 grey or greyish white, sometimes tiuged slightly with 

 green or blue, spotted and blotched thickly with 

 brown, of various sliades, and grey. I have some 

 Sparrows' eggs pure white. One egg generally 

 differs from the others in a clutch in regard to 

 the character of its markings. Size about "9 by 

 •6 in. Distinguished from Tree Sparrow's eggs by 

 larger size, situation, and female lacking black 

 j)atch on her chin. 



Time. — March to July or August. 



Beniarls. — Resident. Notes : a monotonous 

 chirrup, and a hurried scolding when engaged in 

 warfare. One authority makes the surprising state- 



