300 Dr. A. Hall on the Mammals and Birds 



Dorsal aspect. Crown chesnut, divided in the centre by a 

 greyish streak; scapulars blackish brown, broadly edged with 

 chesnut ; rump chesnut ; tail square, blackish brown along the 

 shafts and broadly edged with chesnut ; primaries like the tail ; 

 secondaries blackish brown, with broad edgings of chesnut and 

 tipped with the same. 



Ventral aspect. A line over the eye as far as the auriculars 

 grey ; auriculars chesnut ; chin, belly, and vent white ; on either 

 side of the throat a triangular spot of blackish brown, and a sim- 

 ilar one in the centre of the breast, most conspicuous when the 

 feathers are a little separated ; the other parts of the breast and 

 ffanks streaked with chesnut. 



4th primary longest ; 3rd and 5th subequal ; 2nd and Cth sub- 

 equal; 1st equal to 7th. Length 5f inches; alar breadth Y 

 inches. One of the first immigrants that visit us. 



With regard to this bird, " the song sparrow," whose nests are 

 built in the immediate contiguity of dwellings, and near every 

 thoroughfare, the following anecdote was told me by Mr. Hunter, 

 the taxidermist to the Natural History Society : On one of his 

 walks to the mountain, close to the footpath of the road leading 

 in that direction, he discovered the nest of one of these birds, 

 covered at the time with a dry leaf. Buildings were being 

 erected in the neighbourhood. Next day on returning to the 

 spot, he found that shavings occupied the place previously used 

 by the leaf, which most carefully concealed the young ones. The 

 colour of the shaving or chip was about that of the young birds 

 at that period of their growth. On visiting next day the nest, 

 the young birds escaped from it. In this instance the instinct of 

 the bird exhibited itself in the employment of a material for the 

 concealment of its nest, the least likely to attract observation from 

 the fact of the erection of a building in the neighbourhood. 

 F. Canadensis. The Tree Sparrow. 

 F. arborea of Wilson. 

 Spizella monticola. Baird ! 



v.s.p. Upper mandible and tip of lower one black ; the re- 

 mainder with the legs and feet pale ; irides deep hazel ; eggs 5 

 pale brown mottled with dark brown. 



Dorsal aspect. Crown bright chesnut, the feathers faintly 

 tipped with whitish ; nape of neck mixed chesnut and grey ; back 

 and scapulars blackish brown edged with pale brown ; rump pale 

 brown ; smaller wing coverts grey tipped with white ; great wing 



