296 TREE, OR MOUNTAIN SPARROW. 



The Indian bird is much smaller in all its pro- 

 portions, and the under parts of the body, instead 

 of being of an ash-gray, or cinereous colour, are 

 nearly white, having only a slight tinge of sienna 

 yellow ; the lower part of the back and rump are 

 also much redder, and the tail feathers are deeply 

 margined with yellowish brown. The female 

 differs very considerably from the European, the 

 whole of her plumage being much paler. The 

 scapulars of the skin we received are also marked 

 with a patch of reddish brown, not possessed by 

 the Common Sparrow, and the under parts of the 

 body are of an uniform yellowish white, without 

 any tinge of the cinereous or smoke gray, the 

 prevailing tint of the abdomen and belly of our 

 own species. 



THE TREE, OR MOUNTAIN SPARROW, PYRGITA 

 MONTANA. Passer m ontana, JRay> Selby. 

 Fringilla montana. Linn. Tree or Mountain 

 Sparrow of British authors. This species closely 

 resembles the former, and it is only an ornitho- 

 logist who would mark their difference in a wild 

 state. The first time we saw the species alive, 

 we were some time near them without perceiving 

 that they were not our common bird, and their 

 shriller call was what first drew attention to 

 examine them more close!}'. In their habits the 

 Tree Sparrow also very closely resembles the 

 last ; it assembles in small flocks, feeds in a simi- 

 lar manner, and builds in like situations, with the 



