MALAYAN ORNITHOLOGY. 23 



Passer montanus (Linn.). 



The common and only Sparrow of the Straits and Malay 

 peninsula. Its habits are much the same as those of our English 

 bird ; like it, it frequents towns aud villages, and is rarely seen 

 in the jungle at any distance from habitations. It swarms in all 

 the Settlements, searching among the horse- dung for grain, after 

 the manner of its European brother, which, to a casual observer, 

 it closely resembles. 



It builds its large, loosely put together nest of straw and other 

 materials under the eaves of houses or in holes in walls, often oust- 

 ing the Javan Sparrow which may happen to have previously 

 taken possession, as was the case with a pair which built under 

 the roof of our mess-house. 



P. montanus extends eastward to China. In my notes I find : — 

 " Hongkong, 1st Jan., 1879. All the Sparrows here appear to be 

 of one species, the Mountain-Sparrow (P. montanus, Linn.). To- 

 day one flew into my window ; so, putting it in a cage for an 

 hour, I had a good look at its markings, then let it fly away. 

 It was in beautiful plumage. The white line passing round the 

 back of the neck, and the black ear-patches, are the chief 

 characteristics of the species ; and the chestnut markings seemed 

 to me brighter than in the English P. domestieus: The sexes 

 are alike." 



Teeeon nipalensis (Hodgs.). 



I only once met with this Green Pigeon, at Kuala Kangsa, 

 and never saw it in any of the Malacca collections, so think it 

 may safely be put down as rare. 



Teeeon capellei (Tenxm.). 



One I got from Malacca measured about 15 inches in length ; 

 plumage dull green, pale and bluish on the abdomen and fore- 

 head, large patch on the breast bright orange, wing-quills and 

 outer tail-feathers dark slate-colour, the latter tipped with bluish 

 white, wing-coverts narrowly edged with yellow, under tail-coverts 

 cinnamon. 



Osmotreeon olax (Temm.). 



Mr. Davison told me he found this Pigeon common in Singapore, 

 but such was not my experience, as I scarcely ever w it there 



