SONG-BIRDS. Sparrows 



in all. They were climbing up the sloping sides, picking 

 seeds from the coarse grasses and weeds which served as 

 covering for the finer hay. The Longspurs, as well as the 

 Horned Larks that were with them, were so hungry and 

 intent upon feeding that they were not in the least dis- 

 turbed, even though they must have seen me plainly. This 

 lack of fear produced by hunger often gives the winter 

 birds an air of charming familiarity, and, though both win- 

 ter residents and visitors are comparatively few, a little food, 

 suited to their various needs, wisely scattered about the door 

 and around the hayricks and sheds, will bring you a troop 

 of grateful guests to whisper cheerfully, even if they do not 

 sing to you. 



Vesper Sparrow: Pooccetes gramineus* 



Bay-winged Bunting. 

 Plate 29. Fig. 1. 



Length : 5.75-6.25 inches. 



Male and Female : Above brown, varied with dusky. Lesser wing 

 coverts bright bay. Below soiled white, striped everywhere 

 except on the belly with brown. iVo yellow anywhere. Outer 

 tail feathers partly white, appearing conspicuously like two 

 white quills when the bird flies. Upper mandible brown ; lower 

 and feet yellowish flesh-coloured. 



Song : Sweet and clear, less loud than the Song Sparrow's, — " Chewee- 

 chewee-cheewee, tira-lira-lira-lee ! " 



Season : Common summer resident ; April to October. 



Breeds : From Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri northward. 



Nest : Sunk to the rim in the grass or ground, quite deep ; of grasses; 

 as carefully made as if it were a tree nest. 



Eggs: 4-6, thickly mottled and spotted with brown. 



Bange : Eastern North America to the Plains ; from Nova Scotia and 

 Ontario southward. 



This is the Sparrow which is identified by the red-brown 

 shoulders and the two white tail quills, and who, though 

 living near the ground, often soars singing into the air. Its 

 song, though less constantly heard, is as familiar as the 

 Song Sparrow's, and its habit of singing from late afternoon 

 until twilight has given it the name of Vesper Sparrow. ^ 

 L 145 



