202 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



naturally so shy and wary that it often escapes notice. At times, 

 however, particularly when flocking together on migration, it becomes 

 bolder and approaches the neighbourhood of human habitations, 

 occasionally entering some small town or village in search of seeds 

 and other food. 



Although as a rule a silent bird, its call-note, when uttered, may 

 be heard at a considerable distance. Its song, however, if such it 

 can be called, is distinctly poor, and is certainly not the reason 

 of its being kept as a cage-bird, as it so often is in many Mediter- 

 ranean towns. 



The Hawfinch generally nests in low trees, building rather a 

 bulky structure composed chiefly of twigs, with a lining of grass and 

 hair or wool. Its eggs, three to five in number, are of a dull greenish 

 colour, spotted with grey and brown. Average measurements 24 x 

 18 mm. 



PASSER DOMESTICUS (Liunseus). 

 HOUSE-SPAEROW. 



Fringilla domestica, imw. Syst. Nat. i, p. 323 (1766). 



Passer domesticus, Pall. Zoogr. Eoss.-As. ii, p. 39 (1811) ; Sharpe, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xii, p. 307 ; Lochc, Expl. Sci. AUj. Ois. i, p. 129 



(1867) ; Koenig, J. f. 0. 1888, p. 232 ; Whitaker, Ibis, 1895, p. 98 ; 



Erlangcr, J. f. 0. 1899, p. 476. 

 Passer tingitanus, Locke, Expl. Sci. Akj. Ois. i, p. 132 (1867) ; Koenig, 



J. f. 0. 1888, p. 232. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Feriana, Central Tunisia. 



Crown, nape, lower back and upper tail coverts grey ; lores black ; narrow 

 line over the eyes white; superciliary stripes chestnut-red, becoming broader 

 on sides of nape and neck ; back chesnut-red streaked with black, some of 

 the feathers being margined with rufescent-buff ; quills blackish, margined 

 with rufescent-buff on the outer webs ; secondaries and greater wing- coverts 

 broadly margined vntti rufescent-buff ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut-red ; 

 median coverts barred with white ; tail dark grey, slightly fringed with pale 

 buff; chin, throat and upper breast black; ear-coverts pale grey; sides of 

 neck white ; rest of underparts whitish, washed with grey on the sides and 

 flanks. 



Iris dark brown ; bill blackish ; feet pale brown. 



