70 TREE SPARROW. 



the stacks in which they roosted with various other birds: 

 one appears to have been obtained, and only one, in the 

 county of Cornwall. In Lancashire it has been observed 

 about Chat Moss, and is not uncommon in Shropshire; in 

 Northamptonshire, it has been seen near Aldwinkle, by Mr. 

 Doubleday; in Surrey, by Mr. Meyer; and in Sussex, by A. 

 E. Knox, Esq., who says that it is a scarce bird there, 

 though possibly more frequently overlooked ,than observed, 

 and that it probably breeds there in some instances, as he 

 has obtained specimens in May and June. It is frequently 

 taken by the bird-catchers on the Downs near Brighton, 

 when in company with other birds. 



It is likewise met with in the county of Essex, near 

 Southchurch; in Lincolnshire, near Wainfleet, and no doubt 

 in other localities; as also in Suffolk, Norfolk, Staffordshire, 

 Rutlandshire, Cambridgeshire, Durham, and Northumberland, 

 as far north as Newcastle. In the neighbourhood of Yar- 

 mouth, it is stated by the Messrs. C. J. and James Paget, 

 in their Natural History of that place, to be not uncommon 

 in lanes, and also near the town. John Henry Gurney, and 

 William Bichard Fisher, Esqrs., in their 'Account of the 

 Birds found in Norfolk,' say of them that a few are found 

 in that county, and breed there, remaining throughout the 

 year, and that they are very local in their habits, except in 

 winter, when they sometimes disperse in search of food. 



In Ireland it appears to be unknown, and the same remark 

 applies to the Orkneys. In Scotland it has occurred on 

 Main Wood, near Elgin, but I am not aware of any other 

 record of its having been met with in that part of the kingdom. 



It is locally migratory, arriving in Sussex in the month of 

 October, and usually departing again in April. 



The Tree Sparrow and the House Sparrow are as different 

 in their habits as Horace's country-bred and town-bred mice. 

 The former shuns the habitations of man, which the latter 

 makes his own, and only approaches even a village, when 

 the severity of the weather renders such an approach necessary 

 through lack of food elsewhere. The hilly and more moun- 

 tainous districts are the more sought in preference by them, 

 as imported by their specific Latin name, while the others 

 abound in the most level districts. They are sprightly and 

 active birds. 



Both old and young birds of this species collect together 

 in flocks with other birds during the winter half of the year, 



