THE SPARROW. . 181

her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the
swallow observe the time of their coming.” No particular
species is named by the sacred writers.

Orprr PASSERES.—Svus-Orpez CONIROSTRES.

Prretra pomMEstica.—The Sparrow.

This familiar little bird is nearly six inches in length,
and of a robust form; the bill is dusky, the head and back
part of the neck ash-grey, the throat and round the eyes
black ; the breast and under parts pale ash-colour, the back
and wing-coverts reddish-brown mixed with black, the tail
brown and rather forked; the plumage of the female is
plainer than that of the male bird; she lays five or six eggs,
of a reddish-white, spotted with brown; the nest is built
under the eaves of houses, in holes of walls, etc.; there are
generally three broods in a year. The partiality shown by
the sparrow for the neighbourhood of man, renders it one of
our best-known birds, and, though not of showy plumage,
it is far prettier and more varied in colour than would be
imagined by those who have only made its acquaintance
amidst the smoke of a large town. Sparrows are extremely