92 Handbook of Nature-Study 



never rises in the air but drops into a low flight and plunges into a thicket 

 with a defiant twitch of the tail which says plainly, "find me if you can." 



The color and markings of this bird are typical of the sparrows. The 

 head is a warm brown with a gray streak along the center of the crown 

 and one above each eye, with a dark line through the eye. The back is 

 brown with darker streaks. The throat is white with a dark spot on 

 either side; the breast is white spotted with brown with a large, dark 

 blotch at its very center; this breast blotch distinguishes this bird from 

 all other sparrows. The tail and wings are brown and without buff or 

 white bars or other markings. The tail is long, rounded and very expres- 

 sive of emotions, and makes the bird look more slender than the English 

 sparrow. 



The nest is usually placed on the ground or in low bushes not more 

 than five feet from the ground ; it varies much in both size and material ; 

 it is sometimes constructed of coarse weeds and grasses; and sometimes 

 only fine grass is used. Sometimes it is lined with hair, and again, with 

 fine grass; sometimes it is deep, but occasionally is shallow. The eggs 

 have a whitish ground-color tinged with blue or green, but are so blotched 

 and marked with brown that they are safe from observation of enemies. 

 The nesting season begins in May, and there are usually three and some- 

 times four broods; but so far as I have observed, a nest is never used for 

 two consecutive broods. The song sparrow stays with us in New York 

 State very late in the fall, and a few stay in sheltered places all winter. 

 The quality in this bird which endears him to us all is the spirit of song 

 which stays with him ; his sweet trill may be heard almost any month of 

 the year, and he has a charming habit of singing in his dreams, if sudden 

 noise disturbs his slumber. 



The song sparrow is not only the dearest of little neighbors, but it also 

 works lustily for our good and for its own food at the same time. It 

 destroys cutworms, plant-lice, caterpillars, canker-worms, ground beetles, 

 grasshoppers and flies; in winter it destroys thousands of weed seeds, 

 which otherwise would surely plant themselves to our undoing. Every 

 boy and girl should take great pains to drive away stray cats and to teach 

 the family puss not to meddle with birds; for cats are the worst of all the 

 song sparrow's enemies, destroying thousands of its nestlings every year. 



LESSON XXI 

 THE SONG SPARROW 



Leading thought The beautiful song of this sparrow is heard earlier in 

 the spring than the notes of bluebird or robin. The dark blotch in the 

 center of its speckled breast distinguishes this sparrow from all others; 

 it is very beneficial and should be protected from cats. 



Methods All the observations of the song sparrow must be made in 

 the field, and they are easily made because the bird builds near houses, in 

 gardens, and in the shrubbery. Poetry and other literature about the 

 song sparrow should be given to the pupils to read or to memorize. 



Observations i. Have you noticed a little brown bird singing a very 

 sweet song in the early spring? Did the song sound as if set to the words 

 "Little Maid! Little Maid! Little Maid! Put on the teakettle, tea- 

 kettle-ettle ettle?" 



