A Book on Birds 



which leads through some hazel bushes and 

 tall buttonwood trees before the sharp, 

 thin chirp we have been expecting pierces 

 the ear from either side of us; and in a 

 few moments we succeed in locating several 

 of the chirpers themselves, and can scru- 

 tinize them adlibitum through our spy- 

 glasses. 



And what beauties they are! — certainly 

 the handsomest, and almost the largest 

 of the Sparrow family. 



The cleanly contrasted stripes of alter- 

 nate brown and white (we count three 

 of the former and two of the latter) 

 straight back from the beak across the 

 crown of the head seem to me their most 

 striking color mark, even though the broad 

 patch of white at the throat is quite dis- 

 tinctive. And, indeed, very conspicuous 

 also, to my mind, are both the pure steel- 

 gray underneath the flashing black eyes, 

 and the squirrel-like shades of back and 

 tail. 



But it was the voice of the White- 

 throated Sparrow which brought us out 



[46] 



