FRINGILLINA. 179 
THE HOUSE-SPARROW. 
PASSER DOMESTICUS (Linnzus). 
The House-Sparrow is generally distributed throughout Great 
Britain and Ireland wherever human habitations are to be found, 
except near some of the high moorland farm-houses and a few of 
the most elevated villages. In proportion as land is brought under 
cultivation, the Sparrow makes its appearance and rapidly increases, 
so that it is now established in the Inner Hebrides, the Orkneys, 
the Shetlands, and other places where it was formerly unknown. 
As yet the House-Sparrow does not appear to have reached the 
Feroes, but in Scandinavia it occurs, in suitable localities, up to and 
a little beyond the Arctic circle; while eastward it can be traced 
across Russia, and along the inhabited portions of Siberia to 
Daiiria ; but not to Japan or China. A smaller and paler race 
(known as P. indicus, but not considered by the best authorities as 
entitled to specific distinction) inhabits Cochin, Siam, Burma and the 
Indian region, as far west as Southern Persia ; whence gradations 
lead back to the typical bird, which is found almost all over Europe 
where grain will grow. In Italy, and on the island of Corsica, the 
representative species is P. ita, the male of which has the crown 
chestnut instead of grey ; but although this species has been found 
for a considerable distance up the Brenner Pass, it has not yet 
infringed upon the territory of our bird, which, on the northern 
P 2* 
