52 SPANISH SPABBOW. 



GRANIVORtE. 



Family FRINGILLID^E, (Bonaparte.) 



Genus Passer. fBrisson.J 



SPANISH SPAEEOW, 



Passer salicarius. 



Passer salicarius, Vieillot. 



Fringilla hispaniolensis, Temminck. 



" sardoa, Savi. 



Passer domesticus salicarius, Keyserling et Blasius. 



Moineau a poitrine noir, Of the French. 



Schwarzlrilstiger Sperling, Of the Germans. 



Passera sarda, Savi. 



Specific Characters. — Top of the head deep chesnnt or maroon; back 

 black, with longitudinal streaks of cream-colour; flanks thickly spotted with 

 black on a dirty white ground. The first primary the longest in the wing, 

 but nearly equalled by the second and third, and all of them longer than 

 the fourth. Length about six inches; carpus to tip three inches; tarsus 

 nine lines; middle toe and claw eleven lines; beak six lines; tail two inches 

 and a half. 



The Spanish Sparrow has very strong structural aiBnities with the 

 House Sparrow, but its ornamentation and habits are so decidedly 

 dilFerent that I think there can be no doubt of its specific distinction. 

 Professor Blasius has, however, made it a variety only of the Passer 

 domesticus. 



The Spanish Sparrow is, as its name imj^lies, an inhabitant of 

 Spain, but it is also common in the south of Europe generally, par- 

 ticularly in Sardinia, Sicily, and Italy. Count Miihle says it is very 

 rare in Greece, but when found it is not in company with the 

 Domestic Sparrow, from which he considers it quite distinct. Dr. 



