Genus PYRGITA, Cww.

Gen. Cuar. Bill strong, conical, longer than deep; upper mandible slightly curved; tip
emarginate ; culmen slightly raised; lower mandible compressed and smaller than the
upper. Nos¢rils lateral, immediately behind the bulging base of the upper mandible,
round, and nearly concealed by small plumes. Wengs: the second quill-feather rather the
longest. arse nearly as long as the middle toe. ves three before and one behind, those
in front divided : claws sharp and curved, that of the hind toe rather larger than that of

the middle. Taz/ square or very slightly forked.

COMMON SPARROW.

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Pyrgita domestica, Cuv.
Le Gros-bec Moineau.
Or the four species of this group indigenous to Europe, no one is more extensively spread or more generally

known than the Common Sparrow, a bird with which we are all so well acquainted that to enter into the de-
tails of its history seems almost superfluous. We are informed that in Italy and Spain its place is supplied by

two species peculiar to those countries, viz. Pyrg. Cisalpina and Pyrg. Hispaniolensis, but with this exception
it is undoubtedly spread over the whole of Central Europe ; it also occurs in Northern Africa and in the hilly
districts of India. In England it is stationary throughout the year, congregating in flocks in autumn and
winter, but in summer dwelling and breeding either in small companies or in pairs. Accommodating itself
to all situations, it breeds indifferently among the branches or in the holes of trees and under the eaves of
houses, not unfrequently usurping the nest of the Common Martin (Adirundo urbica) ; but never far from the
habitation of man, to whose presence it appears perfectly indifferent, hence we see it as abundant in the

largest cities as in the smallest villages. The nest when placed in a tree is of a domed form, carelessly
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constructed of straw, grass, and any materials at hand, but always lined with feathers : the eggs are five or
six in number, of a greyish white spotted with brown. The food of the Common Sparrow consists, during a

great part of the year, principally of seeds and grain of different kinds, which in summer are in a great mea- ]

 

sure exchanged for insects and their larvae, with which it invariably feeds its young. This bird is destroyed
in vast numbers in many agricultural districts, on account of the supposed injury it inflicts upon the farmer Ha
by the destruction of his corn; but we much question whether this practice can be fairly justified, for we con- |
ceive that the injury it may inflict is more than counterbalanced by the benefit accruing from the havoc it ii
commits among the insect tribes, which are in fact the real enemies of the farmer, the fruit-grower, and
every cultivator of the land; and we ourselves incline to think that it would be better to protect the grain or
even to sacrifice some portion of it, than utterly to exterminate a creature which has, no doubt, been wisely
appointed to fill its place in the great scheme of creation.

The male Sparrow is really a pretty bird when seen undisguised by the smoke and dirt which disfigure
its plumage in our larger towns and cities: the crown of the head is bluish grey, back of the neck and stripe
from the eye rich chestnut; cheeks and sides of the neck greyish white; throat and chest black ; upper sur-
face rich brown dashed with black ; a white bar across the shoulders ; under surface greyish white ; feet and
bill black in summer and brown in winter.

The female has the upper surface dull brown; the under surface greyish brown; and the feet and bill (

brown at all seasons.

 

TREE SPARROW. | HII

 

4 HH
Pyrgita montana, Cuv. |
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Le Gros-bec Friquet.

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Unuike the preceding species, which loves to dwell in the streets of our towns, this affects the open country,
where every field and wood affords it food and a congenial habitat. In the British Islands it is extremely H | i

local in its range, being scarcely known in some counties, while in others, Essex, Cambridgeshire, &c., it is

tolerably abundant. It is found in most parts of central and southern Europe, and we have also received it

from the Himalaya mountains and from China. The food consists of seeds, grains, and insects. Like all

the other members of this restricted genus it is devoid of song. The nest is constructed in the holes of
stunted trees and pollards, and very closely resembles that of the Common Sparrow, as do the eggs also,

except that they are smaller. The sexes offer no difference in the colouring of the plumage. The Tree

Sparrow may be distinguished from the male of the common species by its being much smaller in size, and by
its having the top of the head rich chestnut brown; a patch of black on the ear-coverts, and two narrow bars

of yellowish white across the shoulders.
The Plate represents a male and female of the Common Sparrow, and an adult male of the Tree Sparrow.

 

 

 

 

 

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