FINCHES. 245 



but, except in their familiarity, they possess no charms, being 

 unmusical. 



d. Their only notes are chirps or twitterings, which may 

 be almost constantly heard. 



XXV. PYRGITA. 



A. MONTANA. Tree Sparrow.^^ Mountain Sparrow.* 

 (But recently detected among our English Sparrows, being 

 likewise imported birds. The following account of their 

 appearance is quoted from the "American Naturalist," for 

 January, 1876.) 



" It will interest ornithologists to know that the Tree Spar- 

 row of Europe (^Pyrgita montana') has lately been discovered 

 to be a resident of the United States. 



"The resemblance of this species to the English House 

 Sparrow has led me to be on the watch for it since the intro- 

 duction of the latter, but without success until I found it in 

 St. Louis, Mo., last spring. Here I found the new species 

 abundant, but was unwilling to take any until the breeding- 

 season was over. Four skiiis sent to Mr. G. N. Lawrence, of 

 New York, are pronounced by him to ' agree accurately with 

 the plate and description , of this species.' He also informs 

 me that about five y^ars ago Mr. Eugene Schieffelin noticed 

 fifty or sixty of these birds in the store of a bird-importer in 

 New York, where they were unrecognized; and these were 

 probably afterwards sold as or with P. domestica. This is 

 undoubtedly the explanation of their occurrence here, and 

 further search will very likely show their presence in other 

 localities. 



" With a general resemblance to the common House Spar- 

 row, Pyrgita montana is readily distinguished by its chest- 

 nut crown and the similarity of both sexes and the young. 



'8 Not to te confounded with the -were, almost without doubt, escaped 



American Tree Sparrow (XIV, B). from cages. 



Several other European lirds, such * Mr. Minot's reasons for including; 



as the Serin Finch, and the Goldfinch this species are not obvious. So far 



of that country, are said to have oc- as the Editor is aware, it has never been 



curred in Massachusetts ; but they detected in any part of New England. 



— W.B. 



