76 The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 
nest, formed of the seed-branches of the reeds and long grass, 
with a little wool and hairs, is so deep that the eggs do not 
roll out when the reeds are shaken by the wind. The Accadian 
word is KIP SU, of uncertain meaning. The reed warbler 
and the sedge warbler are both found in similar situations, 
but the latter bird builds its nest near the ground, and seldom 
makes use of reeds as a support ; but see Appendix. 
(17.) Various kinds of insectorial birds, such as the Frin- 
gillidw, "finches," and Emberizida?, "buntings and sparrows," 
are included under the head of "birds injurious to the 
crops," and were used as food, as I have already mentioned. 
I think, however, that our little impudent friend, the common 
sparrow, is definitely spoken of under the name of di-ik-di-ku 
«ys£ -y<y* <y#: ™), or due-due-** ( t y^ t y^ gj) 
and its-tsar ia-me-di; the first two names are evidently 
imitative of the bird's chirp, while the last may be rendered 
" bird of destruction," Sa-me-di being referred to the Hebrew 
root shdmad (Itott)), " to destroy" or " lay waste," notwith- 
standing the ttt instead of the D ; or the Assyrian sa- j ^ ^ 
may be connected with the Hebrew T|D sod, " an assembly," 
in allusion to the congregatory habits of sparrows. The 
opinion of Dr. Delitzsch, however, may be preferable to any 
of these conjectures ; he compares the Arabic savida or asvad, 
"to be black," and as in Arabic one name of the sparrow is 
associated with its colour, its-tsur savedi of the list may be 
rendered "bird of dark colour," and be identified with the 
sparrow on that account. Still the idea of destruction to crops 
caused by its devouring properties is certainly implied in the 
Accadian ^Jjpj, the representative of the Assyrian word. 
The sparrow, as an agricultural pest in the destruction 
which it causes to various crops, figures conspicuously on the 
Egyptian monuments. The little bird, which stands as a 
determinative of " evil " in the hieroglyphic system, without 
doubt denotes a sparrow, as Champollion first showed. This 
has been called in question by Sir G. Wilkinson (" Anc. Egypt," 
V, p. 213, 3rd ed.), who believed the bird to be, not a sparrow, 
but a water- wagtail (Motacilla). In connection with the fact 
of this hieroglyphic bird being regarded " as the type of an 
