BRITISH BIRDS. 73 



paler and somewhat mottled both above and below ; black 

 throat absent until autumn moult. 



Breeds commonly in Middlesex, Essex, Kent and 

 Surrey ; sparingly also in most other south-eastern and 

 midland counties, north perhaps to Yorkshire, where it has 

 nested twice recently. To south-western and northern 

 counties and Wales it is a winter visitor ; has occurred at 

 same season in Scotland, and with greater frequency on 

 east side of Ireland. Frequents woodlands, building nest 

 in tall thick hawthorns or hollies, the lower branches of 

 oak trees or in fruit trees in orchards ; it is cup-shaped, but 

 shallow, and very lightly made of fine twigs and roots, 

 lined with bark-strips and horse-hair. Eggs : 4 or 5 ; 

 light olive-grey, boldly spotted with blackish-olive and 

 with some thick streaks of grey ; size '95 by 70. Call- 

 note : a peculiar prolonged whistle, but note when intruders 

 are near is pit, pit, pit, often repeated. Food : berries, 

 peas, seeds of hornbeam and kernels of fruit-stones, which 

 are broken in its strong bill. 



GENUS XL. PASSER, Brisson (1760). 

 Bill short, nearly conical, but both upper and lower 

 mandibles somewhat arched, and former slightly larger 

 than latter. Wings with ist quill small, 3rd or 4th 

 longest. Tarsus moderately long, stout ; claws short. 



89. Passer domestieus (Linn.). HOUSE-SPARROW 

 Hab. Europe (except Italy and islands of Mediter- 

 ranean), north to Arctic Circle ; also Siberia. 



Male : crown and nape grey, bordered with chestnut ; 

 above eye a slight streak of white ; lores black ; mantle 

 chestnut, streaked with black ; lower back grey ; 

 median wing-coverts broadly tipped with white ; 

 quills and tail brown ; chin and throat black ; 



