78 THE FINCHES 



TREE- SPARROW [Passer montdnus (Linnseus). Rock-sparrow, red- 

 headed-sparrow, copper-head, mountain-sparrow. French, friquet ; German, 

 Feldsperling ; Italian, passera maltugia]. 



1. Description. Distinguished from the house-sparrow by its ruddy brown 

 crown and nape, triangular black patch in the white of the cheek, double alar bar, 

 and much more graceful appearance. Length 5 in. [139'5 mm.]. (PL 10.) The 

 sexes are alike. The young differ in having the alar bars tinged with buff, and the 

 black on the cheek and throat both less in area and paler in hue. [w. p. p.] 



2. Distribution. Palsearctic, distributed throughout the greater part of 

 Europe and Siberia east to China and Japan, as well as in the Indian region (India, 

 Sumatra, Borneo, Java, etc.). In Europe it is rare in Spain, and absent from 

 Portugal, Corsica and Sardinia. In Scandinavia it is now found up to 70 30' N., 

 and in North Russia to the Petchora valley. As an introduced species also, it has 

 been obtained in North America. In Northern Europe it is extending its range, 

 and is now found in Arctic Norway, and has also been recorded as common in the 

 Faroes, where it was unknown previous to 1869 or thereabouts, but appears to 

 have again disappeared of late. In the British Isles it is a local species ; it is found 

 in England in every county except Cornwall and Devon, but is very scarce in the 

 Lake District. It now breeds in Wales (although almost unknown in the west and 

 south), in the Hebrides, and in Shetland. In Ireland it is beginning to spread from 

 a locality in Co. Dublin, from which it was first recorded in 1852, being otherwise 

 unknown except as an occasional migrant. The fact that it may have formerly 

 existed, but have been overlooked, owing to its likeness to the house-sparrow, in 

 some of those districts from which it has been only recently recorded, must be 

 taken into consideration. [F. c. K. j. A. L. T.] 



3. Migration. It is a resident species ; also an autumn immigrant. The 

 autumn immigration is at its height in October, and appears to consist of (a) immi- 

 gration on the north-eastern coast from Northern Europe, and (b) immigration to 

 the south-east of England from Central Europe (cf. Brit. Assoc. Report, 1896, p. 

 457). The birds which are recorded from the Essex, Norfolk, and neighbouring 

 light-stations in April (cf. B. 0. C. Migration Reports, i. p. 125, ii. p. 179, and iii. 

 p. 182) are probably migrants returning to Central Europe. There is also evidence 

 of some migration between our shores and countries farther south : birds are 

 recorded from our south coast lights in the latter half of March (cf. loc. cit.). A 

 gregarious migrant. [A. L. T.] 



