470 SOME OF THE FAMILIAR BIRDS OF INDIA. 
beams of the roof, and would stuff your hat full of stubble in half 
a day if they found it hanging in a place to suit them. They are 
extremely pertinacious in asserting their right of possession, and 
have not the least reverence for any place or thing.” (Land and 
Book, Vol. 1, page 58.) 
If the sparrow is to be introduced into America to devour the 
larve of insects it should be remembered that it is for the most 
part a feeder on grain, seeds and buds and that it only makes & 
business of devouring grubs during its breeding season. Ifitis 
true, as has been estimated, that a pair of them will devour four 
thousand caterpillars a week during their breeding season, still 
that season continues but a small part of the year, during the 
remainder of which they may cause a great amount of destruction. 
I trust that those who have to do in this matter will act advisedly, 
lest they should introduce that which will eventually become as 
great a nuisance, in its way, as the cureulio and the cankerworm. 
Of the five other species of Indian sparrows only one is found ie 
-this region. The Passer flavicollis, or yellow-necked sparrow, 18 
altogether more modest than the preceding, and is, indeed, a very 
different sort of a bird. It does not intrude itself into the society 
of man, but frequents thin forest jungle, groves of trees and gardens. 
It has a very pleasing song which it pours forth from its golden 
throat, seated upon the topmost twig of some lofty tree. | 
Emberiza Huttoni. The gray-necked bunting. This can hardly 
be called a familiar bird in the sense to which we have restricted 
that term, although I have twice seen it gathering its food i 
ground in front of my window ; I mention it here more particulary 
to correct an error in regard to its supposed limited i 
Dr. Jerdon gives its habitat as the N. W. Himalayas 
may be “a rare straggler into Western India.” Mr. W.T % 
ford obtained four specimens in 1867, in the vicinity of Nag 
and Chanda, and reports them as having “not previously th 
found so far to the South.” Rahouri is considerably farther poa 
than the places mentioned by Mr. Blanford, and I have yee 
here in large numbers during the past year. I cannot "i 
explain the apparent suddenness of its appearance. a 
to recognize it until two years ago, and then only s 
but during the last cold season it was very common, wr z 
localities of hill and plain. 
Euspiza melanocephala. 
The black-headed bunting wpa 
