BIRDS 87 



in an aviary in winter, and it has fed then entirely on seeds, which it swallowed 

 whole. I found it very gentle, and, though shy at first, easily tamed. 



Its nest may be found in every hedge or bush : a neatly constructed home 

 of moss, wool, and grass, lined with hair, etc., and containing four or five eggs 

 of pure unspotted blue. It is an early nester generally in March and its 

 nest is frequently chosen by the Cuckoo for its own egg. 



In the pairing season the cock has a habit of showing off to the hen by 

 drooping its wings and " shuffling " them : hence one of its rustic names is 

 " SHUFFLE-WING." 



Sparrow, House. Common as this bird is, I doubt whether one person 

 out of a hundred could describe his plumage, beyond saying it was " brown." 

 The coloration in spring when examined in detail is beautiful. He has a 

 white cheek patch and a black bib, which alone make him handsome ; the 

 crown and rump are ash-grey, and the mantle is chestnut, the beak black. 

 The hen has browns instead of greys, a buff eye stripe, under parts dirty white, 

 beak brown. In winter the cock is much duller in colour. 



There is no real song, but the chirp is known to every one. There are 

 various alarm notes and courting notes, which must be familiar to dwellers 

 in town and country alike. 



From the Hedge Sparrow this bird is distinguished by the thicker and 

 more stumpy bill and the bold, impudent carriage, as well as by differences 

 of plumage. 



As for its nesting site, the sparrow will place its untidy bundle of straw, 

 hay, and feathers anywhere in any hole or crevice in trees, houses, rocks, 

 under eaves, in pipes, and in every convenient or inconvenient situation. I 

 made a nest box one year of a box with an entrance consisting of an empty 

 carbide tin. The sparrows occupied it, though it took " superhuman " 

 exertions to get into and along the tin tunnel. Another box, with a small hole 

 and no perch (intended for tits), just outside my window, was commandeered 

 by sparrows, although in this case also it was extremely difficult for the birds 

 to enter. When the nest is built in a tree it is always domed ; there is never 

 any mistaking it, owing to its large size and untidy structure. The eggs vary 

 very much pale bluish white, with spots of grey and brown ; sometimes red- 

 dish, sometimes almost white. 



Sparrow, Tree (MOUNTAIN SPARROW). Resident, but a local species, found 

 in all counties but Cornwall and Devon ; scarce in the Lake District, increasing 

 in Ireland. Like the House Sparrow, but distinguished by its chestnut crown 

 and nape, a detached spot of black on the white cheek, and two white bars on 

 the wing. It nests in holes in trees, buildings, walls an untidy nest of straw, 

 grass, etc., lined with feathers. The eggs are smaller than the House Sparrow's, 

 whitish with brown spots ; often one or two eggs in the clutch are lighter than 

 the rest. Its food is the same as the House Sparrow's, and its note is much 

 the same, but rather more musical. 



Stonechat. This bird, in general coloration often confused with the 



