100 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Soft parts. — Bill 3'ellow with dark tip (\vinter adult and juv.), 

 black with base of lower mandible usually deep yellow (summer) ; 

 legs and feet black ; iris dark brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — M. n. alpicola (Caucasus, Persia, 

 Afghanistan) has paler mantle and bro\\-ner head, M. n. adamsi 

 (Himalaj'as, Kashgar) has browner, not so white secondaries and 

 wing-coverts. Some resemblance to Snow-Bunting but larger size, 

 grey head, and black throat at once distinguish it. 



Breeding-habits. — ^Nests in high alpine districts in crannies of 

 rocks, but where buildings exist will build in holes in walls or 

 under eaves. Nest. — Bulky, built of dead grasses and moss, 

 mixed with leaves, hair, feathers, etc., warmly lined feathers and 

 hair. Egqs. — 4 to 5, rarely 6 ; pure white, without gloss, and 

 rather deUcate. Average of 62 eggs, 23.42 X 16.96 mm. 

 Breeding-season. — Begins in Alps end April or early May, while 

 second brood may be found about end June (Fatio), but others 

 have found first eggs about beginning June or even later. 

 Inciibation. — Period not known, nor whether male assists hen. 



Food. — Insects (small coleoptera, orthoptera, etc.) ; seeds of 

 coniferous trees and alpine plants. 



Distribution. — England. — Three times. Male, Rye Harbour 

 (Sussex), Feb. 22, 1905 {vide supra). Two, Paddock Wood (Kent), 

 Dec. 28, 1906, with a flock of four or five " similar-looking " birds 

 (N. F. Ticehurst, Brit. B., 1, p. 189). Three, Rye, Feb. 28, 1916 

 (J. B. Nichols, op. c, xii, p. 66). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — High elevations in the Alps, Pyrenees, 

 Sieira Nevada (Spain), north Apennines, rare in south-east Europe 

 but breeding in Montenegro and Greece. Allied forms in Asia. 



Genus PASSER Briss. 



Passer Brisson, Orn. i, p. 36 (1760 — Type Passer domesticus, the passer 

 of Gessner, Aldrovandi, etc., by subsequent designation). 



Bill shorter than head, heavy, clumsy ; culmen slightly 

 curved ; large nostrils nearly hidden by frontal feathering. First 

 tliree visible primaries about equal and longest, fourth little 

 shorter ; first a little more developed than in most other 

 Fringillidce, but not noticeable unless searched for. Wings broad, 

 distance from end of secondaries to tip of primaries short. Tail 

 about tliree-fourths of wing or more, square at end. Sexes either 

 very different or alike ; young like female. Europe, Africa, and 

 Asia ; introduced into America, Australia, New Zealand and 

 elsewhere. 



Key to species of genus Passer. ^ 



Sides of head white with black patch ... P. montanus, p. 104 

 Sides of head pale ashy-brown .... P. domesticus, p. 101 



