52 Phillips, Variation in English Sparrows. LJan. 



to Irkutsk ; to Darien in East in cities and villages, (here only since 

 permanent habitation) and not in territory of nomads. In South 

 to Gibraltar, Spain and Portugal, to Tangiers, on Balkan Penin- 

 sula, and on Balearic Isles. Also imported to New Zealand and 

 Australia and North America. Male wing 76-82.5; rarely 83 

 (E. Prussia). He says it was not easy to define the limits of P. d. 

 indicus, an eastern race, on account of lack of material and the 

 pronounced variation of domesticus, especially in the color of the 

 back, lighter or darker, more or less mixed with white, and also in 

 the size. He was not able to separate any races in Europe, but 

 says more material may give other results. 



English, Irish, W. German and Dutch specimens he considers 

 smaller, but there is no definite boundary line. The largest male 

 is from Eastern Prussia. Specimens from S. E. Europe have 

 brighter colors, but nothing constant. Caucasus specimens have 

 grey ear coverts, very pure colors, and look like P. indicus, but 

 cannot be separated as a race. Some specimens have fine black 

 cross-bars on lower sides. Spanish spring birds are peculiar be- 

 cause of light colors and chestnut brown on the lesser wing coverts 

 and back. We thus see stability over a very large area, with 

 tendency to certain variation. 



The following sub-species are recognized by Hartert : 



P. d. biblicus Subspec. nov. : size Wing 82-84; beak as large or 

 larger, back light chestnut brown with no white ; grey of rump and 

 head covered in fall with a pale brown tint. Wings and tail not as 

 dark. Ear coverts not white as indicus, but light grey with brown- 

 ish tint. Six specimens. (In the Museum of Comparative Zoology 

 I have seen five males from near Jerusalem, Selah Merril Collie; 

 all of them fall below the measurements given by Hartert except 

 one which equals his smallest — Wing 78-82-77-80-79.) Distri- 

 bution of this race: Syria, Palestine from Beersheba to Beirut. 



P. d. tingitanus Locke: Very much like P. domesticus but grey 

 feathers of upper head in the male are black towards base; a fact 

 only noticed in fresh feathers when they are raised up. In spring 

 the worn head feathers look dotted with black; ear coverts not as 

 grey, and lower parts somewhat lighter and cream colored. Rump 

 somewhat lighter and wing a little longer. Females also somewhat 

 lighter and less greyish. Distribution : Tunis and Algiers, Morocco. 



