THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 231 
and ruins of all sorts, holes in banks, and even the nest hole of Ceryle rudis 
was appropriated in one case reported by Evans, the deserted Kingfishers 
being found behind the Sparrows. 
The question arises what race or races of House Sparrow inhabit our area. 
From 8. W. Persia and the head of the Gulf indicus has been repeatedly stated to 
occur (Zarudny, Harms, Witherby, etc.). Now I have examined a very large 
series from the Mesopotamian plain,—from Basra in the south to the Adhaim 
in the north, and these match typical biblicus in every way and certainly are 
not indicus, as they are too large and have grey, not white cheeks. In S. W. 
Persia I have seen biblicus from Shustar, Dizful and even up to Kermanshah. 
The south coast of the Caspian is inhabited by sparrows which I cannot separate 
from the typical form. IJndicus, which is a small bird (wing usually 76-78 mm. 
in males) and has white cheeks, [ have not seen west of Gwader on the Mekran 
coast ; at Bampur, Karman, Shiraz, Bushire (in winter), Afghanistan and pro- 
bably Beluchistan there lives a white-cheeked sparrow which has always been 
eailed indicus, but for this it is much too big ; it is parkini of Whistler, a bird of 
considerable range and whose type locality is Srinagar. Cashmere (vide Bull. 
B. O. C. celiii, p. 13, 1920). Weigold says that specimens from Urfa are not 
distinguishable from the typical form and Kolibay thinks the same. I have 
seen none from this district so cannot pass any opinion. Sassi records 
indieus from Mosul, probably an error. 
23 skins examined: @, Kazimain, 9-2-19, 6-5-19; @, 7-4-19; Amara, 14-3-18 
(two); @, Basra, 19-4-17; 9, Shustar, 13-1-18; 9. Sheik Saad, 25-11-16; 9, 
Zear, 4-2-19 (two) (P. Z. C. and R. E.C.);2 @ 9, Samarra, 6-3-18; ¢, Adhaim, 
20-10-17 (two); @, 7-10-17; 9, Bait-al-Khalifa, 21-12-17 (two) (C. R. P.); 9, 
Shustar, 13-1-18 ; 39, Basra, 21-11-17; 9, 17-5-18 (C. B. T.). Wing @, 79— 
83°5 mm., bill from base i4. 9 77°5-82imm. 
21. Scrub Sparrow. Passer moabiticus. 
Passer moahiticus moabiticus, Trist. (P. Z. S. Lond, 1864, p. 169— 
Dead Sea). 
This handsome little Sparrow is a local resident in suitable localities, wandering 
away from its breeding haunts further afield in winter. Buxton met with a 
small flock at Amara on December 9th in deep scrub of Prosopis, Rubus, 
Tamariz, Liquorice, etc., and he saw another flock in the same place mixed with 
domesticus on the 16th. Pitman found several large flocks 10 miles N. of Kut near 
the Tigris in scrub and Sweda bushes on March 3rd and met with them again in 
the same area in scrub round floods on April 7th and 10th. He noticed them 
searching the leaves of the Sueda bushes for insects. Cheesman met with it 
mixed with flocks of hispaniolensis near Amara on January 13th. He has 
already given an account ‘Bull. B.O.C. CCXLVI, p. 39) of the nesting of this bird 
which I reproduce :— 
“On May Ist, 1919, this colony was nesting in thick scrub jungle near 
Baghdad. The jungle was several miles in extent on the banks of the 
Tigris. . . . The nests were always built in the stout stems of the 
Euphrates Poplar or trees of dwarf Tamarisk 5 feet to 8 feet from the ground. 
There were perhaps 100 nests scattered over 6 miles. Generally the nests were 
200 yards apart. The main structure is of sticks and resembles a smail 
Magpie’s nest. The large size of the stick selected is remarkable when the 
smallness of the bird is considered. The eggsare placed on a thick pad of 
down from rushes and thistles, a few fibres and small feathers. The root 
is covered in, and the entrance is a small hole which winds down out of 
sight from the top in a spiral.” 
“One nest contained one half-fledged young and one egg, another 5 eggs, 
2 fresh and 2 near hatching, another 6 eggs all fresh, another 3 eggs all 
fresh. One nest, an old one, was being renovated by a pair of birds, The 
