PASSER CKASSIROSTRIS. 255 



in Soraaliland it also appears to l)e scarce, altliougli it is abun- 

 dant throughout Abyssinia, according to Lord Lovat. Dr. 

 Ragazzi likewise calls the species plentiful in Shoa, and 

 Antinori remarks that it takes the place of our House 

 Sparrow in the villages, and breeds there in May under the 

 roofs of the houses. Mr. Pease calls it the Common Sparrow 

 of the upper countries, but not seen by him on the maritime 

 plains. Heuglin met with the species at Kordofan and from 

 the Blue Nile to Bogos and Takah, the country on the right 

 bank of the Atbara, which is the most northern known range 

 for the species. He describes the nest as like that of other 

 Sparrows, composed of grass, &c., and well lined with horse- 

 hair and feathers ; but they frequently take possession of other 

 birds' nests, generally those of the Weavers. He gives a 

 figure of the egg (Orn. N. 0. Afr. pi. 48, fig. 2), and calls it 

 similar to that of P. domesticus, measuring 8 x 0*72. Mr. 

 Kuschel describes eggs of this species from the Gold Coast, as 

 being of a stout oval form, with thin shells and a moderate 

 gloss, but very variable in colour, the ground being white or 

 rusty yellow. Those with the white ground have dusky violet 

 or brownish red spots, clustered together at the thick end so as 

 to almost hide the pale ground colour, while those of a rusty 

 yellow shade lack the violet marks, but the obtuse end is 

 covered with brownish red spots. They measure 0'77 to 078 

 X 0-63 to 0-64 



Passer crassirostris. 



Pyrgita crassirostris, Heugl. J. f. 0. 1867, p. 299 Fazohl. 

 Pseudostruthus gongonensis, Oust. Le Natui-alists, 1890, p. 274 



Gongoni. 

 Passer gongonensis, Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1901, p. 618, Omo R. Akara. 

 Passer diffusus gongonensis, Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1900, p. 45 Nairobe. 

 Passer swainsoni (nee Eiipp.) Shelley, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 589 Melinda ; 



Jackson, Ibis, 1899, p. 019 Kibwesi, Elgeyu. 



