282 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



season it may often be seen descending with airy, sweeping flight into 

 some leafless treetop, as if from a far aerial journey, its identity made 

 known by its very characteristic utterance, a short, rather dull-sound- 

 ing note, scarcely metallic — the metal pressed the instant the bell is 

 struck. 



Although the Purple Finch often essays to sing in the autumn 

 and earliest spring, its full powers of voice belong alone to the nuptial 

 season. Then it easily takes its place among our noteworthy song 

 birds. Its full song is a sweet-toned, carelessly flowing warble — not 

 too brief to miss definite character as a song, and positive enough in 

 modulation and delivery to find ready place in the memory. At times, 

 indeed, its singing is of a character not to be easily forgotten. The 

 song bursts forth as if from some uncontrollable stress of gladness, 

 and is repeated uninterruptedly over and over again, while the ecstatic 

 bird rises high into the air, and, still singing, descends into the trees. 



Eugene P. Bicknell. 



Passer domesticus {Linn.). House Sparrow; English Sparrow, 

 Ad. 6 . — Crown gray, bordered from the eye backward and on the nape by 

 chestnut; lesser wing-coverts chestnut, middle coverts tipped with white; 

 back streaked with black and chestnut ; rump ashy ; middle of the throat and 

 breast black ; sides of the throat white ; belly whitish. Ad. $ . — Head and 

 rump grayish brown; back streaked with black and deep ochraceous-buff; 

 under parts dirty whitish, the breast and sides washed with pale grayish 

 brown. L., 6-33 ; W., 3-01 ; T., 2-30 ; B., -48. 



Range. — " Nearly the whole of Europe, but replaced in Italy by P. italioe., 

 extending eastward to Persia and Central Asia, India, and Ceylon " (Sharpe). 

 Introduced and naturalized in America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. 



Nest., of any available material in any available place. I^ggs., varying from 

 plain white to almost uniform olive-brown, generally white, finely and evenly 

 marked with olive, 1-86 x -62. 



We learn from Bulletin No. 1 of the Division of Economic Orni- 

 thology and Mammalogy of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture * that this pest was first introduced into the United States at 

 Brooklyn, Nevr York, in 1851 and 1852. As late as 1870 it was largely 

 confined to the cities of the Atlantic States, but since that date, partly 

 through man's agency and partly through the bird's rapid increase in 

 numbers and adaptability, it has spread over most of the United States 

 and Canada east of the great plains, and isolated colonies are estab- 

 lished throughout the west. 



* The English Sparrow (Passer domesticus) in North America, especially in 

 its Relations to Agriculture. Prepared under the Direction of Dr. C. Hart Mer- 

 riam, Ornithologist, by Walter B. Barrows, Assistant Ornithologist, Washington, 

 1889. 



