FIELD KEY TO COMMON BIRDS. 81 



a*. Length 5'75 inches; a white line over the eye not bordered by 

 black ; prefers the upper branches of rows of ehiis and other shade 

 trees ; song, a rich, unbroken warble with an alto undertone ; May 



to Sept Wakbling Vikeo, page 165. 



a'. Length 4-00 inches; no white line over the eye; eye-ring and 

 wing-bars white; a tiny, unsuspicious bird; tlits about the outer 

 brandies of trees and slirubs; wings twitched nervously; note, 

 cack-^ song, a remarkably loud, musical whistle; Sept. and Oct.; 



Apl. and May Ruby-crowned Kinglet, page 182. 



b. Back olive-green or dusky olive; flycatchers who capture their prey 



on the wing by darting for it, and while perching are quiet and erect. 



5». Length 7'00 inches; frequently found nesting under bridges or 



about buildings; crown blackish; tail wagged nervously; note.s, 



pee, pee, and peivit-pk(xbe\ Mch. to Oct. . . . Phcebe, page 124. 



S». Length 6-50 inches; haunts wooded growths; note, a plaintive 



pee-a-wee; Mny to Sept Wood Pe wee, page 126. 



bK Length 5-40 inches; haunts orchards, lawns, and open woodlands; 



note, chebec, ckebec Least Flycatcher, page 125. 



e. Back gray or bluish gray. 

 c». Length 6-50 inches ; a gray, crested bird ; forehead black ; no white 

 in the tail; note, a whistled peto,peto, or hoarse de-de-de-de\ resi- 

 dent from New York city southward . . Tufted Tit, page 180. 

 c*. Length 8-50 inches; a white band at the end of the tail; a con- 

 cealed orange-red crest; a bird of the air, catching its insect food 

 on the wing, and occasionally sallying forth from its exposed perch 

 in pursuit of a passing Crow; note, an unmusical, steely chatter; 



May to Sept Kingbird, page 122. 



d. Back brown. 

 d^. Length 5-00 inches; a nervous, restless, excitable bird; tail often 

 carried erect; song sweet, rapid and rippling, delivered with aban- 

 don; Apl. 25 to Oct House Wren, page 175. 



<i». Length 12-25 inches; slim, brownish birds with long tails; flight 

 short and noiseless ; perch in a tree, not in an exposed position ; 

 note, tut-tut, cluck-clnck, and cotv-coto; May to Oct. 



Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blackbilled Cuckoo, pages 112, 113. 

 B. Back brownish, streaked. 

 a. Crown rufous or chestnut without streaks. 

 a>. Length 525 inches; bill black; a whitish line over the eye; a 

 familiar bird of lawns and door-yards ; song, a monotonous chippy- 

 cMppy-chippy: Apl. to Nov. . . Chipping Sparrow, page 142. 

 a*. Length 5'70 inches; bill reddish brown, back rufous or rufous- 

 brown; wing-bars and eye-ring whitish; haunts dry, bushy fields 

 and pastures; song, a musical, plaintive cher-ivee, cher-wee, cher- 

 wee, cheeo, dte-dee-dee-dee; Apl. to Nov. Field Sparrow, page 140. 

 a*. Length 5-90 inches; forehead black; crown and wings chestnut- 

 rufous ; flanks pale grayish brown ; haunts marshes ; song, a rapidly 

 repeated tceet-weet-weet, etc. ; Mch. to Nov. 



Swamp Sparrow, page 139, 



