BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 21 



winter in South-Eastern Europe. The adult male closely 

 resembles Pyrrhula vulgaris, but in some examples the 

 colours are more brilliant; it is also larger in size. 



Ibouse Sparrow. 



THE House Sparrow (Passer domesticus, Linnaeus) is a well- 

 known resident and generally distributed species throughout 

 the British Isles, and also over the whole of the Palearctic 

 Region. The adult male in summer has the top of the 

 head and rump slaty-grey; chin, throat, breast, and lores, 

 black ; above the eyes, a thin white streak ; mantle, ruddy 

 brown, with dark centres to the feathers ; wings and tail, 

 dark brown, margined with paler brown ; white tips to 

 lesser wing-coverts ; cheeks, ashy ; under parts, greyish- 

 white ; bill, black ; legs and feet, brownish ; irides, brown. 

 Length, about six inches. In the adult female the black 

 on the throat and breast are absent. 



