Rural Schcjol Leaflet. 863 



feet, or the one who knows not the excitement of th^ search and 

 the joy of finding the four speckled eggs tucked away in. a neat little 

 nest? Most boys recognize several kinds of these " Ground-birds " 

 as they call them. There are those which nest in bushes or hedges, those 

 which nest beneath the bushes, those which nest in tussocks, nicely 

 sheltered by the overhanging grass, and still others which nest far out 

 in the open field away from bush or tree of any kind. There is no roof 

 over this last " Ground-bird's " nest, and when the bird leaves, the 

 eggs are exposed to the sky. They are bluish or pinkish gray, more 

 or less covered with spots and blotches of brown, and generally with 

 a few scratches of black at the larger end. 



When the bird flutters from the nest with outstretched wings and tail, 

 we see that its outer tail feathers are white and we know it is a Vesper 

 Sparrow; for we should not use the confusing name of " Ground-bird " 

 for all of the small brownish birds that nest in the bushes and on the 

 ground. Instead, we are going to call them sparrows and learn to 

 distinguish one kind from another, not only by the color but by the 

 song and even by the nest and eggs. 



The Vesper vSparrow is one of the most common of the so-called 

 " Ground-birds." He comes to us in the spring, in the early part of 

 April, and delays his southward migration until the last of October or 

 first of November. Indeed, some years when the weather is excep- 

 tionally mild, he may stay with us all winter. With the advance of 

 spring, while the grass and clover are still short in the meadow, his 

 parental cares begin. Unlike the Song Sparrow, he does not choose 

 a place where the thick grass will roof over his nest, but selects a slight 

 depression in the shelter of a hummock. The top of the nest, he 

 makes even with the surface of the ground so that one may even step 

 on it without breaking the eggs. The eggs vary a good deal but can 

 always be distinguished from those of the other sparrows by the stain- 

 like spots and by the characteristic black scratches which are generally 

 present at the larger end. 



The Vesper Sparrow is ore of those birds that runs along ahead of you 

 in the road. Often he seems to wait for you to catch up, and then skips 

 along again, always keeping at a safe distance. If you increase your 

 steps, he spreads his wings but after flying a short distance drops 

 down and again awaits your approach. When he flies we most easily 

 recognize him as a Vesper Sparrow for then he spreads his tail and we 

 see that the two outer feathers are white. Very often we see him sitting 

 on a wire or a rail fence; for he always chooses some such exposed perch 

 from which to j)Our forth his clear, sweet song. Especially towards 



