December. 1922. 



The Canadian Field-Naturalist 



165 



naturally restricted to the small areas of open 

 country present clearings, fields and grassy 

 muskegs. In such places it remains throughout 

 the summer in song and evidently breeding. 



49. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned 

 Sparrow. The White-crowned Sparrow in its 

 season is one of the most abundant of the Spar- 

 rows. It arrives in April with the White-throats 

 and rivals that bird in both numbers and song. 

 As the season advances, it becomes less numerous 

 and is met with only occasionally in summer. 

 Again in September it appears and becomes 

 common with many other sparrows and granivor- 

 ous birds. The well-marked adults during this 

 month are conspicuous but the duller immatures 

 are far in the majority in point of numbers, 

 although there is no mistaking even the latter, for 

 their lively actions and choice of haunts at any 

 season or in any plumage are characteristic. 

 During the spring migration here, the White- 

 crown sings a clear, plaintive little song somewhat 

 resembling that of the White-throat but lacking 

 the pure whistled quality. This is sometimes 

 heard during the fall migration but the most 

 usual note in September is a quavering, hesitating 

 warble into which odd notes, chick and tweet, are 

 brought. The whole is sung in an undertone, not 

 delivered clearly and freely. I have heard this 

 song a number of times from the immature but 

 I think the adults utter it as well. 



50. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated 

 Sparrow. The White-throated Sparrow is cer- 

 tainly one of the most abundant birds of the 

 northern woods. It seems to be everywhere at all 

 times. Though frequently seen, it is stil more 

 often heard. Sitting on a log one day w th watch 

 in hand I counted 25 White-throat songs to the 

 minute. And this goes on hour after hour 

 throughout the day. It is difficult to realize that 

 any species could be so persistent a singer. It is 

 no rare thing to hear the White-throat in the 

 darkest hours of the night in May and June. The 

 season of song continues until the middle of July. 

 It is not unusual to hear it in August and even in 

 September, especially if it is encouraged by a 

 whistled imitation, a thing not difl^cult to do. 

 In spite of this plenteous singing I have never seen 

 a single bird indulge in a flight song of any kind. 

 The clear, fine, controlled character of his song 

 , seems not to lend itself to flight singing. If we 

 recall the bubbling song the Bobolink utters on 

 the wing and compare it with the deliberate notes 

 of the White-throat we may surmise that special 

 vocal qualities are best adapted to flight singing. 

 The White-throat nests here on the ground. In 

 September it joins the sparrow flocks in the weedy 

 clearings where it compares favorably with all the 



other birds in numbers but rather surprisingly 

 does not exceed them as would be expected by its 

 abundance in spring. 



51. Spizella monticola. Tree Sparrow. A 

 transient visitor, common in spring and abundant 

 during September and October. Genera' ly when 

 present they are one of the most abundant spee'es 

 in the sparrow flocks in the weedy clearings. I 

 have seen them occasionally in small flocks in 

 early winter after the other sparrows have de- 

 parted. 



52. Spizella passerina. Chipping Sparrow. 

 Common summer resident. The Chipping Spar- 

 row is perhaps the commonest bird found about 

 the outlying houses of the town. The nest is 

 common in shade trees and bushes in the gardens. 

 I recall a terrific thunder and hail storm on June 

 21st that raged for half an hour or more, tearing 

 limbs from trees and breaking windows, which did 

 not drive a female "Chippie" from her nest in a 

 maple tree near the window. After it was all 

 over I looked into the nest and found one young 

 bird and an egg. 



53. J unco hy emails. Slate-colored Junco. 

 The Juncos appear about the middle of April 

 and become very common in the more open woods. 

 They are sociable and can be se n at almost any 

 time in large loose flocks "foraging" about the 

 ground. During this time they are constantly 

 uttering their twittering note which from the 

 whole flock has the effect of quite a chorus. About 

 May they disappear in a body but all through the 

 summer an occasional Junco may be met with and 

 I found one pair nesting. Again in the fall from 

 September to late October they are common if 

 not abundant but are not so leisurely in their 

 movements and commonly associate with White- 

 throats, White-crowns, Chipping and Tree Spar- 

 rows in rough clearings. 



54. Melospiza melodia. SONG SPARROW. 

 Contrary to what might be expected, the Song 

 Sparrow is not an abundant bird here. The 

 country appears to be too well wooded for it, with 

 not enough patches of open woods and hedgerows. 

 However it can safely be termed a common sum- 

 mer resident. 



55. Passerina cyanea. Indigo Bunting. A 

 rare summer resident. June 10th, I collected a 

 singing male on a rocky hill above the town and 

 later in the day I saw and heard several others 

 about the same spot. This was the only occasion 

 on which it was noted. 



56. Bombycilla cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. 

 Tolerably common through May and June but 

 seems to disappear in early summer except for an 

 odd pair or so. It was not because they became 

 more silent in summer, for when is the Waxwing 



