46 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



about the parks of New York City until the end 

 of November, but with the snowfall they move 

 south to Virginia, or farther. Their summer 

 range is north of the United States, probably 

 as far as northern Labrador. 



The Fox Sparrow is an inch longer than the 

 Song Sparrow, and thicker set. Its coat is a 

 handsome reddish brown above, light gray 

 heavily streaked with dark brown and black 

 underneath. They are said to build on the 

 ground or in low bushes a nest of coarse grass 

 lined with fine grass, hair, feathers, etc. The 

 eggs are light blue speckled with brown. 



Swamp Sparrow. In late March or early April 

 there comes to the reed-bordered brook which 

 winds through the meadow, or to the swampy 

 pasture land with its thicket of alder and fir, a 

 Sparrow not often seen about the homes of men, 

 except during the migration season. It is aptly 

 named the Swamp Sparrow, for it is a denizen of 

 those waste places of nature. 



If you invade his home, he will fly from bush 

 to bush, uttering a faint little song which sounds 

 like ''weet'Weet-weet-t-t-t-f^ running into a trill. 

 It is not a pretentious song, you will say, and is 

 rather monotonous, yet it seems quite in keep- 

 ing with the surroundings. 



He is somewhat smaller than the Song Spar- 

 row, and has a cap of bright chestnut, a black 

 forehead, and a grayish line over the eye. The 

 back is striped with various shades of brown and 

 black, so that the general color is darker than 

 that of the Song Sparrow; the wings and tail 

 are reddish brown and the under parts are gray. 



