PASSER. 401 



head white, more or less tinged with buff; back and scapulars plain brown ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white ; wings and tail chiefly black ; greater portion of 

 greater coverts, basal portion of lower secondaries, and basal half or more of 

 exposed portion of outer webs of primaries,- pure gamboge-yellow; secondaries, 

 primaries, and middle tail-feathers tipped with white, the inner webs of outer tail- 

 feathers partly white ; sides of breast, sides, and flanks plain cinnamon-brown ; 

 rest of lower parts dull white. Young : " Head, neck, back, and scapulars dull 

 light wood-brown ; wings as in the adult female, but the primaries are slightly and 

 the secondaries broadly tipped with brownish buff; tail less marked with white, 

 and tipped with buffy brown ; chin, throat, and under parts dirty white, the throat 

 and the breast washed with pale brown, the latter very indistinctly spotted with 

 sooty brown." (DRESSER.) Length 4.75-5.50, wing 2.90-3.15, tail 2.00-2.10, ex- 

 posed culmen .45-.5S. Nest a very neat, compact, cup-shaped structure, composed 

 of fine grasses, mosses, etc., mixed and lined with plant-down, situated in bushes or 

 small deciduous trees (often fruit trees). Eggs 4-6, .70 X -49, bluish or greenish 

 white, or light greenish blue, marked with reddish brown round larger end. Hob. 

 Europe and western Asia ; introduced into and naturalized in portions of eastern 

 United States (breeding in Central Park, New York City, vicinity of Cambridge, 



Mass., etc.). 



C. carduelis (LINN.). Goldfinch. 1 



GENUS PASSER BRISSON.' (Page 382, pi. CVIL, fig. 2.) 



Species. 



COMMON CHARACTERS. Above brownish, the back streaked with black ; wing 

 with two white bands ; lower parts dull grayish white or pale grayish ; adult 

 males with chin, throat, and lores black, and lesser wing-coverts chestnut. 



a 1 . Larger (wing 2.85-3.00) ; adult male with black of throat continued over chest, 

 where forming a broad patch ; ear-coverts entirely dull grayish ; top of head 

 grayish, with a large patch of bright chestnut on each side, from eye back to 

 sides of nape ; length about 5.50-6.25, wing about 2.85-3.00, tail 2.35-2.50. 

 Nest a bulky structure of dried grasses, etc., lined with feathers, placed in 

 various odd nooks about houses, holes in trees, on branches of trees, etc. 

 Eggs 4-7, .86 X -62, dull whitish, thickly speckled and dashed with dark 

 brown and purplish gray. Hob. Europe, etc. ; unfortunately introduced 

 into the United States, where it now occurs universally throughout in- 

 habited districts. 



P. domesticus (LiNN.). European House Sparrow.* 



a'. Smaller (wing less than 2.85) ; adult male with black of throat not continued 

 over chest ; ear-coverts with a large black spot ; top of head entirely liver- 



1 Fringilla carduelis LINN., S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 180. Carduelis carduelis SCH^EFF., Orn. Mus. 1789, 23. 



2 Passer BRISS., Orn. iii. 1760, 71. Type, Fringilla domestica LINN. 



8 Fringilla domestica LINN., S. N. ed. 10, i. 1758, 183. Passer domeaticus SCH^FP., Orn. Mus. 1789, 24. 



51 



