SPARROW, Passer or Pyrgita, a genus of birds of the family fringillidte, having a strong conical bill, the upper mandible slightly curved, the lower mandible compressed and shorter than the upper, the nostrils partly concealed by the short feathers at the base of the bill, the legs moderately long and stout, the claws sharp and curved, the tail moderatelydong, and nearly even at the tip. The species are not very numerous, and' are exclusively found in the old world. The COMMON SPARROW, or HOUSE SPARROW (P. domesticus), plentiful everywhere in the British islands, and too well known lc reqire description, is found also throughout Europe, abounding particularly in the northern countries, fry which its range extends eastward into Siberia, and southward to the n. of Africa and of India. Of all British birds the sparrow is the boldest in its approaches to man. Town sparrows are not mere visitors from the neighboring country, but constant inhabitants of the town itself, with the smoke of which plumage is begrimed. The sparrow in its best plumage is not a very beautiful bird, nor has it such elegance of form as many others of the finch tribe; it has no melodious song, but its habits are interesting, and Its frequent lively chirp pleasing. Sparrows often congregate in great flocks, particularly in autumn, when they find rich supplies of food in the ripened grain. The sparrow is one of the most omnivorous of birds. Animal and vegetable food seem equally acceptable to it. During summer vast numbers of insects and their larva: are devoured by sparrows, and in this way they make amends for their plunder of the,grain in autumn, which they begin as soon as it is- sufficiently ripened, and continue as long as there are sheaves in the field. Their depredations have induced many farmers to use means for their destruction. They are good to eat, though little used for this purpose in Britain. It is otherwise in France, where all the small birds Are sought after as articles of food. But the destruction of sparrows may be
carried too far; and in France it has been followed by an increase of caterpillars, vastly more injurious to crops than the sparrows themselves. The sparrow makes a very inartificial nest, collecting a quantity of hay, or some similar material, in a hole of a wall, and lining it with feathers; sometimes, but more rarely, building a rude dome shaped nest in the higher branches of a tree. Apart from the habitations of man, which it so much frequents, it often builds in crevices of rocks, or in cliffs on the sea-coast, or under the shelter of the nests of rooks, one rook's nest sometimes covering several nests of sparrows. Several broods arc produced in succession, and the breeding season is pro longed over the whole summer, one brood succeeding another. The summer plumage of the sparrow is more brilliant titan that of winter, and the female is of more sober plumage than the male, exhibiting indeed almost no variety of color.—The TREE SPAR ROW (1'. montanus), the only other British species, is very similar to the common spar row, but of rather smaller size. It is also a widely distributed bird, frequent over great part of the old world. It is rarely seen in towns.—In Italy the common sparrow is rare to the s. of Piedmont; and another closely allied species (P. ciiialpiva), takes its place, very similar in its habits as well as in its characters.—In America there are numerous species of fringillida', popularly known as sparrows, of which the WIIITE-TIIROATED SPAR:flW (zonotrichia albicallis)is most nearly allied to the true sparrows. The nostrils are in a small groove, and the tail is slightly forked.—The hedge sparrow (q.v.) is tt bird different from the true sparrows.—The name sparrow is popularly given in different parts of the world to many different birds, chiefly fringillidce.—The bird called .p.trro• in the English translation of the Bible is a species of thrush.