THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 403 



It is a general opinion that the Sparrow is what is known as a 

 resident bird, which never leaves its breeding area even during 

 the winter months. This may indeed be the case in central 

 Germany and further south, but does not hold good here in Heligo- 

 land. The flocks of young birds which have been bred here dis- 

 appear at the end of July ; the old birds remain until the middle 

 of September, though a few of them probably winter here, with 

 which many of those continuing on passage associate : because 

 a company of from twenty to thirty individuals is found here 

 throughout the winter. The resident birds which return in spring 

 are distinguished in a very striking manner from those which pass 

 through on their migration at the same time ; for whereas the 

 former, immediately after their arrival, give themselves great airs 

 on the roofs and in the gutters, incessantly proclaiming their 

 characteristic ' shtilltip shiilliip,' and evidently feel still quite at 

 home in the poultry yard, the migrant bands, consisting of from 

 about thirty to fifty individuals, for a short time fly about silent 

 and shy, high in the air and in a dense crowd, and very soon 

 afterwards continue their journey. The same thing happens 

 in September, and perhaps even somewhat earlier. 



The home of the Sparrow ranges at the present time over by far 

 the greater part of all the countries of the earth inhabited by man. 



204. Tree Sparrow [FELDSPEKLING]. 

 FRINGILLA MONTANA, Linn. 1 



Heligolandish : Ingelsk Karkfink= English Church-bird. 



Fringilla montana. Naumann, iv. 480. 



Tree Sparrow. Dresser, iii. 597. 



Gros-bec frique. Temminck, Manuel, i. 354, iii. 259. 



It is very evident that if this pretty little cousin of our House 

 Sparrow could find a suitable opportunity for building a nest here, 

 it would have long since become settled on the island ; for the birds 

 which make their appearance here during the spring migration at 

 the beginning of May, unlike all other migrants which call on 

 their passage, are not at all in a hurry for proceeding on their 

 journey, and often remain for several weeks a phenomenon which 

 is not repeated in the case of any others of our numerous spring 

 visitors. Frequently I had almost come to believe that some of 

 these bands had actually proceeded to build a nest, as for instance, 

 in May 1884 : on the second week of that month, from three to five 



1 Passer montanus (Linn.). 



