THE TREE-SPARROW. 39 



fairly, have a higher origin, and are found only in those cases 

 in which mental energy must be considered as the spring of 

 action. 



The writings of authors contain many not uninteresting 

 anecdotes of sparrows ; but any one who chooses can collect 

 similar ones without any difficulty or labour. 



THE TREE-SPARROW (Pyrgita montana (arborea .?).) 



The tree-sparrow is a smaller and more slender bird than 

 the house-sparrow. It is more than half an inch shorter, and 

 weighs half an ounce less. 



Besides being smaller, it is easily distinguished by its air, 

 its attitude, its colours, and its locality. It is more light 

 and lively than the common sparrow, and perches with the 

 axis of the body more erect. The top of its head and nape 

 dark reddish brown, the black on the chin less in propor- 

 tion ; a conspicuous black patch on the ear coverts ; the sides 

 of the neck and the breast white, the white produced till it 

 forms a narrow collar round the neck; bar on the closed 

 wing, white with black spots on the anterior edge ; two 

 white bars on the expanded wings. The female more similar 

 in colour to the male than in the house-sparrow. J 



The nest of the tree-sparrow resembles that of the other, 

 only it has often withered grass instead of straw. The eggs 

 are about the same number (five), but they are smaller. The 

 nest is usually formed in holes of decayed trees. Indeed, the 

 bird seems as partial to these as the common sparrow is to 

 houses; and the attraction is no doubt also the same the 

 abundance of insects which such places afford for the rearing 

 of the young. 



The tree-sparrow is found chiefly in the midland parts of 

 England, which might be expected, as it is a bird of the 

 central parts of Europe, and not one that migrates far from 

 its native locality, or flocks much so as to be caught in 



