400 THE TREE SPARROW. 



The Tree Sparrow. 



(Passer Montanus.) Ray. (Fringilla Montana.) Linn. 



" This ungenitur'd agent will unpeople the province with continency ; 

 Sparrows must not build in his house-eaves because they are lecherous." 



— Measure for Measure. 



This bird is less and handsomer than the last ; is as rare in 

 Scotland as the other is common. As its name implies, it 

 breeds in the holes of trees, so I would like my readers to be on 

 the lookout for it, that more may be known of the cousin of 

 our house sparrow than I can tell, or can be gathered from the 

 somewhat illogical account given by Dr Macgillivray, who 

 says — 



" I am not aware that it has ever been met with in Scotland. The only 

 accounts given by persons who have observed them are those of Montagu 

 and Mr Selby, who merely say it never frequents villages or towns, but is 

 met with about old trees, in the holes of which it builds its nest, of the same 

 materials as the house sparrow, chiefly hay and feathers. Eggs, four or 

 five, similar to those of that bird, but smaller ; that it is active and lively ; 

 feeds on seeds and grain, together with insects and buds ; has a note 

 similar to its cousin's, but shriller ; and is rarely met with, even where it has 

 long been known as indigenous. This is a poor account of so handsome a 

 bird, but I can find no better, for on consulting descriptive books I find 

 only the same sing-song story repeated after Montagu, who ascertained 

 that the female does not differ materially from the male in plumage." 



So here, my young friends, is incentive to keep your eyes 

 open when rambling about old trees in the country, for Mr 

 Hewitson, in his " Eggs of British Birds," says — 



" The tree sparrow is not so rare as has been considered. It breeds 

 abundantly in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Northumberland. When at 

 Gullercoats, in Northumberland, Mr Hancock took me to an old wall 

 surrounding the gardens of Whitley Hall, in which a number of the tree 

 and house sparrows were breeding in common, without distinction as to 

 habit, locality, or nest." 



He also says — 



" The Rev. W. D. Fox sent me a series of varieties of its egg?, taken 

 from a number of nests taken from the holes of large trees, or those of 

 pollard willows." 



So, if it breeds thus abundantly in the north of England, I 

 am certain it also breeds in Scotland ; for, when its cousin can 

 over-run the Continent of America, the tree sparrow will not 



