352 Dr. R. 13. Sharpe on Birds 



h. 3 imm.; i. ? ad. Deelfontein, Feb. 3/ 1901. 

 k. <J ad. Deelfontein, Feb. 12, 1902. 

 /. £ juv. ; m-o. £ ad. ; p-s. ? ad. Deelfontein, March 

 1-28, 190.2. 



f. S ad. Deelfontein, April 11, 1902. 

 u, v. <? ? ad. „ May 15, 1902. 



The moult takes place in January and February, and the 

 new winter-plumage is shaded over by the ashy-brown edges 

 to the feathers, which seem to be cast, after the manner of 

 Sparrows, on the approach of the nesting-season. Nestlings 

 were obtained in November, January, and March. Between 

 the nestling males and females there is very little difference 

 at first, but the darker throat of the male soon becomes 

 apparent, and the rufous colour is a little duller. 



In the Deelfontein series the adult females have the head 

 ashy grey, not " blackish" as I have stated in the ' Catalogue' ; 

 but there are some specimens in the Museum which have 

 dusky crowns, and it is just possible that the birds are darker 

 in the breeding-season and moult into a greyer and more 

 mealy plumage in the winter. Unfortunately we have 

 no adult female in breeding-plumage in the Deelfontein 

 collection. 



The collectors brought home ten clutches of eggs of this 

 Sparrow, which go through all the usual variations of those 

 of the genus Passer. 



[The "Mossie" is very common, and is found in large 

 numbers round the farms, especially at evening-time. Young 

 birds are found as early as October, and large quantities of 

 young birds and eggs are destroyed by the Boers, as the 

 Sparrows play havoc with the fruit and cereal crops. Their 

 habits are like those of the English Sparrow, and the nest, 

 which is very large, is built of every kind of rubbish, and 

 is to be found not only on houses, but in trees and bushes. 

 The eggs are generally two or three, but we found as many 

 as six.] 



102. Alario alario. 



Alario alario (L.); Bp. Consp. i. p. 319; Sharpe, ed. 



