160 FRINGILLID^ 



PASSER 



-~ j 



84. Passer arcuatus. Cape Sparroiv. 



Fringilla arcuata, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 912 (1788). 



Passer arcuatus, Gray, Gen. B. ii, p. 373 (1849) ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. 

 p. 204 (1867) ; Gurney in Anderssorfs B. Damara Land, p. 185, 

 (1872) ; Holub and Von. Pelz. Beitr. Orn. Siidafr. p. 131 (1882) ; 

 SJiarpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 478, 850 (1884) ; id. Cat. B 

 M. xii, p. 333 (1887) ; Shelley,' B. Afr. i, p. 20 (1896). 



" Mossie " of Dutch Colonists. 



Passer arcuatus. 3 . 



Description. Adult male in summer. Above, cinnamon-red 

 tinged with grey on the back of neck and mantle ; lesser wing- 

 coverts cinnamon-red ; middle coverts black tipped with white ; 

 greater coverts black edged with brown and tipped with white ; 

 quills black edged with brown ; upper tail-coverts brown ; tail- 

 feathers black edged with rufous ; crown black ; eyebrows, sides 

 of neck and posterior half of cheeks white ; lores, feathers round 

 eyes, ear-coverts, anterior half of cheeks, throat, and upper breast 

 black ; rest of under surface dull white tinged with grey on the 

 sides and thighs ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white ; under 

 surface of quills dusky with fulvous inner margins. 



Iris brown ; bill black ; legs and feet brown. 



Length 6-00; wing 3'25 ; tail 2-45; tarsus O75; culmen 0-55. 



Adult male in winter. Above, the plumage greyer than in 

 summer ; the black markings on the head and throat tinged with 

 brown. 



Adult female. Less bright than the male; the upper surface 

 browner ; crown, sides of face, ear-coverts and throat dusky-brown ; 

 a streak bordering the back of crown and a patch behind the 

 cheeks buff- white ; below, the breast and abdomen buff- white. 

 It is also smaller. 



Length 5-60 ; wing 2-95 ; tail 2-30. 



