HEDGE-SPARROW 303 



towards the north-east. In Turkey, according to Messrs. 

 Elwes and Buckley, it is not uncommon. Strickland ob- 

 -tained it at Smyrna in December, but considered it rare 

 there. It is resident, says Canon Tristram, in the Lebanon ; 

 and Dr. von Heuglin met with it in Arabia Petrsea in Decem- 

 ber. It is a winter-visitant to continental Greece, but seems 

 not to occur in the islands. It inhabits all the rest of 

 Europe, being common in most countries ; but even in parts 

 of Italy it is said to be migratory though perhaps its move- 

 ments are, as is asserted by Malherbe to be the case in 

 Sicily, merely from the hills to the lower districts. In Malta 

 Mr. Wright says it is rare, appearing chiefly in winter. It 

 is tolerably common in Southern Spain, breeding in the 

 mountains, but seems to be less so in Portugal. Loche says 

 it occurs in Algeria, but it must be rare there. 



A remarkable peculiarity of the Hedge- Sparrow has es- 

 caped the notice of many writers, but not that of the obser- 

 vant Macgillivray, who says : " This bird is liable to a 

 singular disease, consisting of tubercular and apparently 

 carcinomatous excrescences upon the eyelids and about the 

 base of the bill." To the truth of this statement the Editor 

 can bear witness, while he can add that these excrescences are 

 not confined to the bird's head, but are also found, and 

 sometimes of a very large size, on its feet. Naumann too 

 has noticed the liability of this species to disease. 



Some writers have objected to the name of Hedge- Sparrow 

 for this species, on the ground that it is not a Sparrow in 

 the sense to which they wish to restrict that word, and have 

 suggested various other appellations by which to call it. 

 Yet a name which Shakespear has put into the mouth of 

 one of his fools* is hardly to be dropped, even at the bidding 

 of the wisest, so long as the English tongue lasts. It may 

 be easy in some cases to change a name which has been only 

 used in technical works and known to but few and chosen 

 readers ; but the attempt to meddle with a word which is 

 part and parcel of our language and literature is a very 



* ' ' The Hedge-Sparrow fed the Cuckow so long, 



That it had its head bit off by its young." King Lear, Act i. Sc. 4. 



