THE TREE SPAKKOW. 251 



the poets ; the old English dramatist, JOHN LILLY, gives to the 

 mother of Cupid a team of Sparrows ; the German poet, BUBGEB, 

 welcomes the bird to his hall in some fine flowing lines ; and the 

 musical plaint of CATULLUS for the death of Lesbia's Sparrow, 

 must be sufficiently familiar to most of our readers. 



106. THE THEE SPAEROW. 

 Fringilla Montana, LIN. Le Friquet, BUF. Der Feldsperliny, BECH. 



Description. This bird, which is handsomer than the fore- 

 going, is about five inches and a half in length. The beak is 

 blackish brown ; the feet blueish flesh colour. The top of the 

 head is reddish brown ; the cheeks white, but each having a 

 black spot. A ring of white encircles the nape of the neck. 

 The upper part of the back is spotted with rust colour and 

 black ; the lower part of the back and the rump, are brown- 

 ish grey. The throat is black ; the breast light ashen grey ; 

 the belly dirty white. The pen and tail feathers are dark 

 brown. The smaller wing coverts are rust coloured; the 

 larger ones black, but edged with rust colour, and tipped with 

 white, which produces two transverse streaks of white on the 

 folded wings. Several varieties of this bird are mentioned ; as, 

 for instance, the white and the speckled Tree Sparrow. In 

 the latter, the upper part of the body, the wings, and tail, are 

 yellow ; the throat is black, and the head brown. 



Habitat. The Tree Sparrow is a native of Northern Asia 

 and America, and of most European countries. It is, however, 

 not so common in Germany as the last-mentioned species, as 

 there are several districts in which it is quite unknown. It 

 frequents gardens and fields, where the trees and hedges are 

 thick, and in autumn may be seen in great swarms in the 

 wheat and barley fields. 



It may be allowed to range the room like the House Spar- 

 row. Its feet, however, are so short, that its method of loco- 

 motion is exceedingly ungraceful. 



Food. In this respect, the same remarks apply as in the 

 case of the House Sparrow. 



JSreeding. It builds in hollow fruit trees, and willows by 

 the side of streams, and produces two broods a year. 



Mode of Taking. It may be caught in the same manner as 

 the House Sparrow ; though, being less shy, it caa often in 

 winter be taken under the sieve. 



