The SPANISH SPARROW (_Passer Hispanicus_), or MARSH SPARROW (_Passer
salicicolus_), is about six inches long, and its breadth across the
span of its wings about nine inches and a half. The female is somewhat
smaller than her mate, and in both birds the tail is generally longer
and the tarsus shorter than in the Common Sparrow. In the colour of its
plumage, however, the _Passer Hispanicus_ bears but little resemblance
to the House Sparrow; in the old males the head and back of the neck are
of a dark reddish brown, the back is black, marked with chestnut, and
the throat, breast, and sides are almost black, with a pure white streak
passing above the eyes. The rest of the plumage is similar to that of the
House Sparrow, and the females of both species are almost identical in
appearance.
The Marsh Sparrow inhabits such districts as are abundantly watered, and
is found in Spain, Greece, Northern Africa, and the Canary Islands, as
also in some parts of Asia. It is eminently a field bird, and is seldom
found near human habitations, preferring the vicinity of bogs or water,
near which it is usually to be met with in large flocks. In Egypt these
birds are more frequently to be seen than any other species. Bolle tells
us that the date-palm is very attractive to them, and that for the sake
of the shelter afforded by its crown of leaves, they will occasionally
desert their favourite swamps--especially in Egypt, where they may be
frequently seen near villages rich in these trees, whilst such as do
not possess them are never visited. The same writer also mentions that
on one occasion he saw a settlement of some hundreds living under the
roof of a church. The flight of the Marsh Sparrows is very rapid, and,
unlike the rest of their race, they keep quite close together when on
the wing. In Egypt they may often be seen flying over fields of rice in
such dense masses that numbers might be brought down at a shot. Their
voice is considerably stronger, purer, and more varied than that of
the Common Sparrow, and their disposition much more shy and timorous.
The time of incubation in Egypt and the Canary Isles commences about
February or March, and at this season the palm-trees of the Delta are
covered with their nests, the holes in the stems being also employed as
breeding-places. The nest itself is a very rude affair, and the eggs
so closely resemble those of the Field Sparrow that the most practised
eye cannot distinguish between them. By the month of May the young have
left their home, and the parents at once set about making preparations
for another brood. In no part of the world are these birds regarded
with favour. In Egypt the damage done by them to the fields of rice is
very serious, and Bolle gives us the following account explanatory of
the aversion in which they are held by the inhabitants of the Canary
Isles. The principal promenade of the capital, he tells us, is a most
attractive, cheerful spot, encircled by banana trees, and prettily
decorated with fountains and flowers; consequently, it is a favourite
resort of the beauty and fashion of the place during the long summer
evenings. Night after night elegant groups may be seen lounging and
sitting, listening to the music, and watching the drops of water as they
sparkle in the marble vases, or besprinkle the surrounding myrtles. You
might imagine yourself in some scene embodied from an old romance, when
all at once a strange rustling noise is heard in the summits of the
neighbouring trees, and hosts of sparrows rise into the air, the birds
having been disturbed in their repose by the lighting of the lamps. The
scene is at once changed; exclamations of disgust and annoyance take
the place of laughter and gay conversation, and the señoritas, as they
hurry from a spot suddenly become so dangerous to their elegant toilettes
and rich mantles, are by no means sparing in their invectives against
a torment that compels them to forego all the delights of a summer
evening's walk with their cavaliers, whose complaints against the authors
of the mischief are at any rate equal to their own. For this reason,
the _pajaro palmero_, as it is called, is pursued with great eagerness,
and every attempt made to drive it from the locality. Frequently in the
twilight boys are sent up into the trees with lanterns to catch the
birds whilst blinded by the sudden light, and numbers are thus brought
to expiate their crimes in the frying-pan, for their flesh is much
esteemed. But little, however, can really be done to dislodge them during
the summer; it is only in autumn, when the leaves have fallen, and the
Alameda possesses no more attraction for their enemies than it does for
them, that they condescend to seek a home elsewhere. The same author
tells us that he has frequently seen these birds caged in the Canary
Isles, but though quite tame, they did not appear to thrive, owing, he
imagines, to a lack of insect nourishment.
[Illustration: THE TREE SPARROW (_Passer montanus_), AND THE HOUSE
SPARROW (_Passer domesticus_).]