PASSERINES. PASSER. 205 



angle short and rounded, the dorsal line very slightly convex, 

 the ridge broad, the sides much rounded, the edges sharp 

 and inflected. Mouth rather narrow ; both mandibles deeply 

 concave ; tongue sagittate, fleshy, subulato-lanceolate, in- 

 volute, grooved above, with the tip slightly bifid ; oasophagus 

 enlarged into a crop of considerable size ; proventriculus 

 bulbiform ; gizzard roundish, compressed, with very strong 

 muscles, and dense, longitudinally rugous epithelium ; intes- 

 tine of moderate length, rather wide ; coeca very small ; nos- 

 trils broadly elliptical, oblique, basal, concealed by the re- 

 flected feathers. Eyes of moderate size. Head rather large, 

 oblong ; neck short ; body compact. Tarsus short, compress- 

 ed, with seven anterior scutella ; toes of moderate length, 

 slender ; claws rather long, arched, much compressed, late- 

 rally grooved, acute. Plumage blended ; wing rather short, 

 with the outer three quills nearly equal, but the third longest ; 

 tail rather short, slightly emarginate. 



130. PASSER DOMESTICUS. HOUSE SPARROW. 



Male with the upper part of the head light brownish-grey ; 

 a broad band of chestnut from the eye down the neck, of which 

 the sides are greyish- white ; the throat black ; the back chest- 

 nut mixed with black ; a white band across the wing ; the 

 lower parts light brownish-grey. Female with the head grey- 

 ish-brown above, the sides of the neck yellowish-grey, the 

 lower parts light brownish-grey. Young similar to the female. 

 Male, 6J, 9, 3 T , *, A, T 9 *, T V Female, 6, 9 T V 

 The House Sparrow, the boldest and most familiar of our 

 passerine birds, is generally dispersed in Britain and Ireland, 

 residing in towns, villages, farm-buildings, and seldom be- 

 taking itself to places remote from human habitations. In 

 autumn and winter, the Sparrows, usually in large flocks, 

 search the fields for grain and seeds, in the former season 

 often committing considerable havoc among wheat. Stack- 

 yards and dunghills are favourite places of resort at all sea- 

 sons. The sparrow has a rapid and somewhat undulated flight, 

 advances on the ground by hops, rolls itself in the dust, basks 

 in the sun, loves to lie basking on the sunny side of roofs, 

 or on wall tops, and often perches on trees and bushes. Its 

 food consists of farinaceous substances generally, occasionally 

 insects, sometimes flesh, suet, in short almost any sort of re- 

 fuse. It nestles in some hole, or cavity, or crack, in a wall 



