THE FINCHES 1565 



The European rock sparrow (Petronia stulta} is found in some districts of 

 Spain and Portugal, and the south of France, as well as in Greece and Palestine. 

 Its habits resemble those of the common sparrow; but it is generally a very shy bird, 

 flying away on the approach of danger, and constantly keeping a good look- 

 out. It nests in the ruins of old castles and crevices of the rocks, building a 

 large, untidy nest, composed of stems of grass and plant fibres, lined with hair, 

 feathers, and other materials. It lays two or three eggs in a clutch, white in 

 ground color, streaked and spotted with ashy gray and brown. The parents wait 

 assiduously upon the young, and manifest the greatest distress if the safety of their 

 progeny be endangered. In autumn they gather into flocks, and some migrate 

 from their higher breeding grounds. The flight of this bird is rapid and well sus- 

 tained, and the usual note a harsh chirrup. Although partial to fruit, the rock 

 sparrow feeds principally upon insects during the summer months, visiting the 

 stubble fields in autumn. Upon the approach of winter, rock sparrows often con- 

 sort with other small birds, in the company of which they frequent the roads and 

 even villages. The general color of the male is brown above; the mantle and back 

 being broadly streaked with black, and having a whitish-brown spot at the tip of 

 the outer webs of the feathers; while the crown is light brown in the centre, bor- 

 dered with dark brown, and followed by a broad whitish-brown eyebrow; the wings 

 and tail are blackish brown; the cheeks, throat, and under surfaces pale ashy 

 brown; and the lower throat varied with a patch of pale yellow. 



The genus Passer contains the true sparrows, which are represented 

 78 over the greater part of the Old World; and, as restricted by Mr. 

 Gates, are characterized by both sexes exhibiting a peculiar pattern upon the outer 

 webs of the first primaries. The bill is stout and short, and the abbreviated wings 

 fall short of the tail by more than the length of the metatarsus. Originally absent 

 from the New World, the true sparrows have been introduced into the United 

 States, where they have become a serious pest, their injurious character becoming 

 more and more realized as the species spreads; they are indigenous to the greater 

 part of the Old World, excepting Australia and the Moluccan islands. 



The house sparrow (P. domesticus), which nests only too numer- 

 House Sparrow , . ,. , . , ,. ,, 



ously in many country districts, is essentially a dweller among 



men. With the members of its earlier brood ready to leave the nest in May, it 

 produces many broods in the season, sometimes evicting the house martin from its 

 mud-plastered home, though occasionally the troublesome intruder is walled up by 

 the irate martins. The eggs of the house sparrow are greenish white in ground 

 color, blotched or spotted with ashy gray and dusky brown. When the young 

 are hatched, the old birds redouble their diligence in procuring food. It is 

 generally supposed that sparrows feed largely upon insects, and there is no doubt 

 that in many districts this is the case for a considerable part of the year. In 

 autumn these birds band together in flocks, and, leaving their haunts in street and 

 alley, join their country brethren in anticipating the farmer's harvest. Few 

 persons but practical men are at all aware of the vast injury annually inflicted 

 upon the farming community by the hordes of sparrows which ravage the corn- 

 fields. Nor is their mischief limited to assailing standing crops of grain. On the 



