SPARROW. 91 



and winter; breast, on the upper part meeting the throat, 

 black as it also is, below, dull greyish or brownish white. 

 Back, fine dark rufous brown on its upper part, the centre 

 of each feather nearly black; on its lower part it is chesnut 

 brownish grey, with a tinge of yellowish. 



The wings, which expand to the width of nearly nine 

 inches and a half, have the first three quill feathers nearly 

 equal in length, but the third slightly longer than the first, 

 and the second rather the longest of the three, the fourth a 

 little shorter than the third, the fifth more than an eighth 

 of an inch shorter than the fourth. Greater wing coverts, 

 brownish black, broadly edged with pale rufous brown, and 

 slightly tipped with dull white; of the lesser wing coverts, 

 the first ones are brownish black tipped with white more or 

 less extensively, and forming an oblique bar across each wing; 

 sometimes half their length is of this colour; the rest are 

 brownish red and partly black; primaries, blackish brown, 

 with narrow outer edges of brownish yellow, and the inner 

 more broadly margined with brownish red; tertiaries, broadly 

 edged with rufous brown. Tail, dark brownish, the outer 

 webs of the feathers blackish edged with lighter brown; it is 

 rather short, and even at the end; it extends about an inch 

 and a half beyond the closed wings; upper tail coverts, pale 

 brownish grey with a tinge of dull green; under tail coverts, 

 dusky grey in the centre. Legs and toes, bluish brown; 

 claws, darker brown, thick and short. 



In the female the plumage also becomes more dull in the 

 autumn and winter. Length, from five inches and a half to 

 six inches; bill, brown, but paler than in the male; iris, dark 

 brown; over it is a streak of dull yellowish, and a dusky line 

 passes through and behind it. Head on the crown, neck 

 on the back, and nape, light dull greenish brown; chin, 

 throat, and breast, pale dull yellowish brown, darker on 

 the sides, the centres of the feathers darker than the rest. 

 Back, dull brown, the edges of the feathers dull buff-colour. 



The wings have the transverse band formed by the tips of 

 the first row of the lesser wing coverts pale yellowish, or 

 dull white; they expand to the width of nine inches and a 

 third. Tail, brownish black, the edges of the feathers light 

 yellowish brown; under tail coverts, dull brownish white. 

 Legs, toes, and claws, lighter brown than in the male. 



The young, when fledged, resemble the female, but are 

 much lighter coloured; at the first moult after the autumn, 



