294 THE YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 



of its size in this localit}^, by its clear buff breast and the 

 bright yellow on the edge or shoulder of the wings. It has 

 also a small line of the last mentioned color from the base 

 of the bill over the eye. On the whole, it is a very light 

 colored Sparrow. 



The fence is a rather high perch for this bird. It is gen- 

 erally seen on the ground or swinging on a spear of grass. 

 From some such lowly position it utters its humble song, 

 which is a faint but prolonged squeak, so much resembling 

 the shrilling of certain grasshoppers that an ordinary ear 

 would scarcely detect the difference. On listening closely, 

 however, and having identified the song, one will discover 

 that it is generally preluded and ended with a faint war- 

 ble. Unpretending as this song is, the singer is neverthe- 

 less ambitious; for on hearing another of its species perform- 

 ing near by, it will fly toward it, and, diving into the grass, 

 soon put it to silence. 



The nest, which is on the ground, is built of dried grasses 

 and lined with hair, and resembles those of the Ground- 

 building Sparrows in general. The five eggs, some .76x-60 

 — large for the size of the bird — are pure white, specked 

 and spotted with reddish-brown, mostly about the large 

 end. They are laid early in June, the bird arriving in May. 

 It probably leaves in September for the south. As a 

 resident of Eastern North America, it is a southerly species, 

 going scarcely beyond the United States; indeed, becoming 

 rare already in the Northern States, w^hile it is abundant to 

 the south. Its food is that of its kind in general — insects 

 and seeds. 



Henslow's Sparrow {Coturniculus hefisiowi) is a closely 

 allied species. " Resembling the last; smaller; more yellow- 

 ish above, and with sharp maxillary, pectoral and lateral 

 black streaks below; tail longer, reaching beyond the feet; 



