PASSER 293 



feathers. It is placed on a saxaul, in the foundation of the 

 nest of a bird of prey, or in a fissure on the steep slope of a sandhill. 

 The eggs from 3 to 5 in number are white with a faint greenish, 

 or sometimes a brownish tinge finely spotted and blotched with 

 warm wood-brown, the markings being more profuse at the 

 larger end ; in size they measure about 0*75 by 0'57. 



429. RUSSET SPARROW. 

 PASSER RUTILANS. 



Passer rutilans, Temm. PI. Col. iii. pi. 488, fig. 2 (1835) ; David and 

 Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 341 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xii. p. 329 ; See- 

 bolim, B. Jap. Emp. p. 131, P. russatus, Temm. and Schlegel, Faun. 

 Jap. Aves, p. 90, pi. 50 (1850). 



( ad. (Japan). Upper parts deep chestnut- or fox-red, slightly striped 

 with black on the upper back and scapulars ; wings and tail blackish, the 

 latter margined with warm isabelline ; wing-cove/ts tipped with white ; 

 under parts pale ashy brown, becoming nearly white on the lower abdo- 

 men ; chin and centre of the throat black ; sides of the throat and cheeks 

 white ; bill black ; legs reddish grey ; iris chestnut-brown. Culmen 0*5 r 

 wing 2'82, tail 2'0, tarsus 0'65 inch. It closely resembles P. cinnamomeus, 

 differing only in the absence of yellow on the under parts, and has less 

 \\hite on the wing-coverts. The female lacks the black throat ; upper 

 parts brownish grey, more striped on the back ; supercilium dull white ; 

 throat dull greyish white ; rest of the under parts similar, but rather 

 darker on the breast and flanks. 



Hob. Japan, North China, and Formosa. 



In habits and nidification it is said to resemble P. domesticus. 



430. TREE-SPARROW. 

 PASSER MONTANUS. 



Passer montanus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 324, (1766) ; (Naum.) iv. p. 480 r 

 Taf. 116, figs. 1, 2 ; Hewitson, i. p. 207, pi. liii. figs. 1, 2 ; (Gould),. 

 B. of E. iii. pi. 184 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit, iii. pi. 33 ; Dresser, iii. p. 597, 

 pi. 178; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xii. p. 301 ; Newton, i. p. 82 ; 

 Saunders, p. 181 ; Lilford, iv. p. 44, pi. 22. 



Friquet, French ; G-orrion serrano, Span. ; Passera mattugia, 

 Ital. ; Feldsperling, German ; Ringmusch, Dutch ; Skovspurv, 

 Dan. ; Pilfinke, Norw. ; Pilfirik, Swed. ; Ketovarpunen, Finn : 

 Polevoi vorobey, Russ ; Suzumc, Jap. 



