October, 1906. 
The hish Naturalist. 
221 
ON THE NESTING OF THE TREE-SPARROW IN 
CO. DERRY. 
BY NEVIN H. FOSTER, M.B.O.U. 
Pirate 4. 
On 1 6th August last I was sitting on the cliffs of the coast of 
Co. Derry, when a bird alighted on the rock a short distance 
off. At a first glance I considered it to be a House-Sparrow, 
but noting the peculiarly light colour of its plumage and the 
generally slimmer appearance of the bird, I examined it with 
my binoculars and was surprised and pleased to find that it 
exhibited all the characteristic markings of the Tree-Sparrow, 
Passer montamis (L,.) The bird carried in its beak a moth, but 
in a short time flew out of sight round a projection of the rock, 
so I altered my position in order to command a view of the 
part of the cliff towards which it had gone, and soon saw it 
emerge from a Sand-Martin's nesting hole. Shortly afterwards 
its mate appeared, and for some time I watched the pair as 
they went and returned, each time conveying a supply of in- 
sect food with which they entered the hole. As this was the 
first observation recorded of this species actually breeding in 
Ireland outside Co. Dublin, I wired to Mr. Robert Patterson, 
who came, and accompanied me to the place, where we sat for 
two hours watching these birds, and he confirms the discovery. 
At this time the young were fully fledged, and we saw them 
come out to the entrance of the hole to receive a supply of 
food each time one of the parent birds approached. 
Whilst watching we were amused to observe a Rock-Pipit 
pursuing one of the Tree-Sparrows from point to point on the 
rocks, with the evident intention of depriving it of the food 
supply which it carried, but in the end the Sparrow managed 
to elude its pursuer and convey to its brood the prey it had 
secured. 
By the 20th, the young had left the nest, and though I 
searched the vicinity I failed to see the birds afterwards. 
Mr. R. Welch kindly came and photographed the place, thus 
enabling the production of a plate showing the position of the 
tiest (see Plate d^. The nesting hole (marked by an arrow) 
A 
