608 
2 
Adult Male (Seville, Spain, June). Crown dark brown, a broad streak through the centre to the nape, 
where it widens considerably, dusty greyish brown; a broad pale buff streak passes from the eye to the 
nape, below which the sides of the head are dark brown; upper parts dusty wood-brown spotted and 
blotched with buffy white and deep brown, the rump, however, being almost uniform in colour; quills 
dark brown margined with buffy white, the secondaries tipped with that colour; wing-coverts dark 
brown margined and tipped with buffy white; tail dark brown, the feathers being narrowly margined 
with buff, and all having a large terminal white spot, this spot being but slight on the central rectrices, 
but strongly developed on the lateral ones; underparts buffy white, irregularly striped with pale brown ; 
on the centre of the throat is a clear yellow spot; under tail-coverts dull brown broadly tipped with 
white; bill horn-brown, the basal portion of the lower mandible light brown; legs light brown; iris 
brown. ‘Total length about 5°75 inches, culmen 0:5, wing 3°6, tail 2°15, tarsus 0°75. 
Adult Female (S. Persia, June). Resembles the male, but is duller in colour, less clearly marked, and the 
yellow spot on the throat is wanting or is but slightly defined. 
Adult Male in winter (Corsica, 22nd December). Resembles the male above described; but im general 
coloration the plumage is darker. 
Young (Attica, 11th July). Resembles the female, but is rather lighter in colour, and the underparts 
especially are whiter. 
THE Rock-Sparrow inhabits Central and Southern Europe, North Africa, and in Asia as far east 
as Eastern Siberia, being in most parts a resident. It does not occur in Great Britain, Scandi- 
navia, or North Russia, and is of uncommon occurrence in Germany. According to Borggreve, 
it appears doubtful if it occurs regularly in North Germany, for later records respecting its occur- 
rence there are wanting ; but Boeck states that he received it from Thuringia; Schafer says that it 
is a rare migrant in the Moselle district; Naumann writes that it occurs in the valley of the Saale 
and the Rheingau; and, according to Saxesen, it has once been obtained in the Harz Mountains. 
Professor Schlegel says that it has been once obtained in North Brabant, and once at Harderwijk ; 
but it is not recorded from Belgium. Messrs. Degland and Gerbe say that it is of rare occurrence 
on passage in the north of France and in Lorraine, but is occasionally met with near Paris, and 
a female was captured near Lille in October 1839. Inthe south of France it is common, and is 
resident in Anjou, the Hautes Pyrénées, the Basses Alpes, and Var. According to M. A. Lacroix 
it is found during the summer in the wooded portions of the mountains of the French Pyrenees, 
where it breeds; and in winter it descends to the plains, and is then found near Toulouse, where 
it is occasionally found intermixed with flocks of other Finches. In March it leaves singly for 
its breeding-haunts. Professor Barboza du Bocage records it as being rare in Portugal; and 
Mr. Howard Saunders says that in Spain it is very local, but not rare. I met with it near 
Barcelona; and Colonel Irby writes (Orn. Str. Gibr. p. 120) that it is common in Southern Spain, 
in the sierras and rocky ground, nesting in May in holes of rocks. According to Salvadori it is 
found throughout Italy, and is resident and breeds in Sicily. Lord Lilford found it very common 
at Syracuse; and Mr. A. B. Brooke says that in Sardinia it is a summer visitant, arriving in 
considerable numbers about the middle of April, immediately resorting to the orchards and 
gardens round the towns; but he never saw them in the mountains, and none remain during the 
winter. It occurs, however, in Corsica, in winter; for Mr. C. Bygrave Wharton writes (Ibis, 1876, 
