PASSEEES (finches). 421 



— such as cabbage, turnip, beetroot, mustard and cress, and 

 radishes — they soon go if the chaffinch finds them out. They 

 also clear off the young shoots of plants and flowers, and 

 even destroy germinating grain. On the other hand, they eat 

 numbers of weed -seeds on the stubbles, especially the per- 

 nicious charlock, and feed their young on insects of various 

 kinds, such as plant-lice, as well as devouring some them- 

 selves. On the whole, the chaffinch does as much good as 

 harm, if we could only keep it away from our seeds — an 

 almost impossible task. 



The Sparrows (Passer). — There are two British sparrows, 

 the House-Sparrow (P. domesHcus) and the Tree-Sparrow (P. 

 montanus). These two can be distinguished by the ear-region 

 of the house-sparrow being bright grey, whilst that of the tree- 

 sparrow is deep black ; the former has also a reddish streak 

 behind the eye, and the wings with one dusky white bar ; the 

 tree-sparrow has a black streak behind the eye and two white 

 bands on the wings, and a white ring nearly round the throat ; 

 the head is a bright chestnut colour. The tree-sparrow is not 

 abundant like P- domesticus ; it is usually found in company 

 with the latter. They are both very destructive at times. Corn, 

 both in the seed and when in crop, is materially damaged by 

 them, and there can be no doubt but that they are the cause of 

 much loss in that respect to the farmer ; but corn is not to be 

 obtained all the year round, though they take it vrhenever 

 possible in the farmyard, often eating as much as the poultry. 

 At other times sparrows do some little good, for they devour 

 many insect pests which we could never get at. The writer 

 at one time condemned these birds before some farmers and 

 gardeners in Surrey, when he was promptly brought to order by 

 more than one, who pointed out their great benefit in destroying 

 insects. Certainly they can be seen clearing off the " colliers " 

 on beans, the green Dolphin on peas, and the " blight " on corn, 

 and they feed ravenously on small larvae on fruit-trees, such as 

 the young Winter Moth and Tortrioes. Water-cress growers 



