Petronia

PETRONIA.

Sparrow-like Finches. Bill stout and conical; frequent rocky districts; food, seeds, insects, fruit; nest in holes in rocks, walls, trees; eggs resemble those of House-Sparrow.

Petronia petronia petronia (L.). Rocs-SPARRow. Fr. Moineau fou ; Ger. Steinsperling ; Ital. l'assera lagia.

d Above brown, eyebrow and centre of head lighter, with broad lateral stripes ; upper parts streaked, feathers buff on outer, dark brown on inner webs ; beneath pale buff with slight yellow tinge and faintly streaked ; a yellow throat spot ; tail with large white apical spots (conspicuous in flight). Bill yellow with brown tip. Legs and feet brownish yellow. Wing 93-10o (H.). Tarsus 18-2o. Bill to- r t. somewhat resembles a House-Sparrow ; yellow throat spot fainter than in 8 . Young are paler and without throat spot.

Resident.—Russia to N., C. and S. France, Switzerland, S. Germany, S. Europe, Hungary to Portugal. Accidental in Holland, Belgium, Malta, Azores.

P.

petronia hellmayri Arrigoni. Darker, less rusty upper II

parts than typical form ; difficult to distinguish. Resident.—Sardinia and Corsica.

P.

petronia macrorhyncha Brehm. Lighter and somewhat longer billed ; white spot on outer tail feathers larger.

Resident.—Balkan Peninsula, Serbia and Dalmatia to Greece and Macedonia.

P.

petronia Barbara Erlanger. Head, lower back, rump, and tail coverts greyer ; paler below, and yellow spot very pale ; bill larger ; white spots on outer tail feathers much larger.

Resident.—N.W. Africa ; Tunis to Morocco.

P.

petronia madeirensis Erlanger. Above darker than typical form, especially middle of head and rump ; beneath more grey brown, and lacking the faint yellow tinge ; smaller. Wing 9o-97.5 (H.).

Resident.—Madeira and Canary Islands.

P.

petronia exigua (Hellmayr). Like typical form, but more dusky grey above ; bill weaker.

Resident.—Estuary of Don, Caucasus, Armenia.