2 
Adult Male in winter (Souf, 3rd January). Upper parts lighter than in summer, the feathers having light 
edges, those on the crown and nape with brownish grey edges; throat black, but the feathers on the 
breast and flanks obscured by having white edges; bill dull yellowish. 
CoMPARATIVELY speaking the range of the Spanish Sparrow is not extensive; for it only inhabits 
Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Canaries, occurring in Asia as far east as the Punjab. 
Professor Barboza du Bocage includes it in his list of the birds of Portugal; but the Rey. A. C. 
Smith says (Ibis, 1868, p. 455) that, though conjectured to visit Portugal, it has not yet been 
identified in that country. It is, however, very common in Spain, where it inhabits the groves, 
nesting in the trees, whereas in the towns and near inhabited places its place is taken by Passer 
domesticus. Colonel Irby states (Orn. Str. Gibr. p. 120) that it is very local in its distribution, 
and is in some places very abundant. I observed it in Catalonia amongst the small birds exposed 
for sale in the markets, and found it extremely numerous near Aranjuez and in other places not 
far from Madrid. It frequently builds in the foundations of the nests of the larger birds of prey; 
and Colonel Irby mentions that he found the nest of a Spanish Sparrow underneath that of a 
Buteo desertorum. Messrs. Degland and Gerbe state that the present species occurs regularly 
on passage in the south of France; but this I greatly doubt; for Messrs. Jaubert and Barthélemy- 
Lapommeraye are unaware of any authentic instance of its occurrence, and the reputed capture 
of one near Nimes, recorded by Crespon, appears to lack confirmation. On the mainland of 
Italy it is replaced by Passer italiw, which species it again replaces in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, 
and Malta, on which islands it appears to be tolerably common. I have examined specimens 
collected by Mr. C. A. Wright on Malta, some of which he took to be the Italian Sparrow; but 
all, without exception, are referable to the present species. In Greece it is by no means common, 
and very local: Dr. Kriiper says that it only occurs in some few localities in Acarnania and 
fEtolia; and Von der Miihle states that he only observed it on two occasions. According to 
Messrs. Elwes and Buckley, Mr. Robson obtained several specimens near Constantinople; and 
doubtless the present species is the one referred to by Professor von Nordmann, who states that 
he has seen many male Sparrows from Abasia which had chestnut heads. Dr. Kriiper informs 
me that the Spanish Sparrow abounds in Asia Minor, and is a perfect pest; and Canon Tristram, 
who met with it in Palestine, states (Ibis, 1867, p. 370) that there it is “confined chiefly to the 
Ghor, or Jordan valley, where it congregates at all times of the year in countless myriads, 
breeding in colonies, so crowded that I have seen the jujube-trees absolutely broken down under 
the weight of their nests, whilst their noise is so deafening that it is impossible to carry on con- 
versation in their ‘rookeries.’ I have known their eggs brought in by thousands, but I never 
saw any variety approaching the dark varieties of the egg of the common Sparrow. This bird, 
like the Doves, feeds largely on the leaves of leguminous plants. It is also found in moist 
wooded districts in other parts of the country, though not in such vast numbers as in the Ghor; 
but it never becomes a denizen of the towns.” Mr. C. W. Wyatt met with it in the Sinaitic 
peninsula, where, however, he only observed it in the oases in Wady Feiran. 
In North-east Africa it appears to be a winter visitant; for Captain Shelley states (B. of 
Egypt, p. 149) that, though numerous in the winter season, it rarely, if ever, remains late 
enough to breed, and he never observed any later than the early part of February. Von Heuglin 
says that he observed it in parties in Lower and Central Egypt and Nubia, southward to 
