Catalogue of the Birds 



Sub Family 'Pm'RQ^ILLmM.-'Ground Finches. 



Genus PYRGITA, Swains. 



176. — P.domestica. — Chooree,Yi. — Common House Sparrow, 



The Spa7'ro7j) is found all over India, even its hottest parts. It is 

 least common on the wooded west coast, and Quilon is said to be ex- 

 empt from its society, as well as from that of the common squirrel (Se- 

 palmarum), two of the greatest pests of most other stations. 



177' — P. flavicollis. — Fringilla fiavicollis, Frankl.—^wjfjVe, H — vulgo 

 Jiinglee chooree, i. e. Jungle Sparrow. — Yellow necked or Jungle Sparrow. 



The yellow necl:ed sparrow is found all over rhe peninsula, wher- 

 ever there are abundance of trees, but it Cannot be said to be a com- 

 mon bird any where, even in the well wooded region of the west coast, 

 ivhere it is more plentiful than in any other part of the peninsula. It 

 frequents thin jungle, groves of trees, avenues, &c.; lives in small flocks, 

 and has almost exactly the same chirping note as the common sparrow. 

 It feeds on various seeds, grain and flower buds. It is said to breed 

 in holes of trees. Mr. Elliot says " also breeds on old pots, and on 

 house tops." The egg is of a greenish white, much streaked and blotch- 

 ed with purple brown. 1 obtained one from the body of a female. 

 Colonel Sykes has placed it as a Ploceus, but its habits, as well as its 

 structure, and the similarity of its notes to those of the conamon spar- 

 row, have led me to replace it among the sparrows. Length 5^ inches ; 

 wing Sroths; tail 2; tarsus y^ths ; bill to front j^ths ; bill black; 

 legs cinereous j irides brown. 



178. — P.? concolor. — New species.? 



I have but a single specimen of the bird I am about to describe, 

 -which was shot on the ground in an open plain, along with a 

 lot of the Indian Ortolan {A lauda Dukhunensis, Sykes). It does not 

 exactly agree with the characters of Pyrgita, having the bill more tur- 

 gid, and with the commissure slightly sinuafced. The third quill is 

 shorter than thjjtwo first, and the inner toe is shorter than the outer 

 one, its claws^^™^over are less curved. I cannot, however, range it 

 under any otherOT(^inson's genera, so prefer retaining it bere. 



Descr. — Of an uniform K^it ashy brown colour, lightest below (al- 

 most white indeed at chin and vent), and darkest on the quills and 



