PASSER. 163 



Mr. G-ammie says: "This species breeds freely about our 

 houses in Sikhim. There are always nests about the eaves of the 

 houses. The nest I send you was taken on the 18th May in my 

 house at Mongphoo; elevation 3500 feet. It contained five 

 partially-incubated eggs, four of which I send." 



Again, writing on the 24th July, he remarks : " I see Passer 

 montanus now building for at least their second brood. For the 

 first brood they began early in March. The old ones are still 

 feeding their young, which are flying about quite as well as their 

 parents." 



The nest is a huge warm cup, at least huge for the size of the 

 eggs, exteriorly 6 inches by 4*5, and nearly 2 inches in height, 

 with a cavity 3 inches by 3'5 and 1'5 deep. Interiorly it is very 

 closely and smoothly and softly lined with feathers. Bound this 

 is a quantity of tow or similar soft vegetable fibre, while ex- 

 teriorly the nest is composed of more or less coarse grass-blades 

 and stems. 



Dr. Scully writes : " This is the Common Sparrow of the Nepal 

 Valley, a permanent resident all over the central level parts ; it is 

 also common in winter in the Chitlang and Markhu Valleys. In 

 the great valley its breeding-season lasts from March to the end 

 of July, and it rears certainly two, and often three broods. I 

 obtained nestlings on the 16th April, and eggs as late as the 

 middle of July." 



Lieut. H. E. Barnes records the following note from Afghanistan : 

 " The Tree-Sparrow is a resident, and occurs, especially in the 

 cold weather, in great numbers ; but as the weather gets warmer 

 it is not noticed so often, retiring probably further into the hills to 

 breed. I have only succeeded in obtaining a single egg, and this 

 was taken from a hole in a tree. The egg does not differ much 

 from that of Passer domesticus." 



Writing of this species from Pegu, Mr. Gates remarks : " This 

 bird is commoner than P. indicus in the valley of the Sittang 

 Kiver. In Eangoon it appears to be the only House-Sparrow. 

 Its nest and eggs are not distinguishable from those of P. indicus, 

 and it breeds in the same sites." 



I cannot quite agree with this. The eggs vary as all Sparrows' 

 eggs do, but as a body they more nearly resemble those of G.flavi- 

 collis than of P. indicus. The ground-colour is white, greyish, or 

 brownish white. Some are speckled and spotted, some blotched, 

 smeared, and streaked, some sparingly but the majority densely, 

 with varying shades of brown and greyish lilac, the markings being 

 generally densest and darkest in a zone or cap towards the large 

 end. Typically the markings are, I think, blurred, smeared, and 

 indistinct, leaving little of the ground-colour visible, but occasion- 

 ally the spots are brighter coloured, sharply denned, and com- 

 paratively few in number. The eggs before me vary from 0'67 to 

 0-82 in length, and from 0'48 to 0-58 in breadth, but their average 

 is 0-73 by 0-54. 



11* 



