T h e bird in question is clearly a small passerine. The hefty bill is indicative of a lark (Alaudidae), finch (Fringillidae), bunting (Emberizidae) or sparrow (Passeridae). Bunting can go for a start, as the structure of the bill is all wrong: our bird has equally sized mandibles with a fairly straight line to the cutting edges, whereas a bunting (and only Corn B u n t i n g Miliaria calandra or p e r h a p s Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala comes close in bill size) typically has mandibles of uneven sizes, the upper being smaller, and the line of the cutting edge plunges downwards at the base. T h o u g h t s of a large-billed lark can also be dismissed: the bills of such larks, though stout, display a rounded outline to the upper mandible, rather than the angular line shown here, and in addition larks' tails are more square-ended without the deep notch of this bird. Deep-billed finches can be eliminated, as none shows the strong mantle pattern and otherwise dowdy plumage of the mystery bird. No; as my wife (a non-birder) emphatically stated, 'It's a sparra', no doubt a conclusion quickly reached by one and all. T h e combination of strong pale 'tramlines' down the sides of the mantle, small, dark dots across the breast and diffuse streaking to the flanks all indicate a female Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis. I doubt that female House Sparrows P. domesticus can ever show