THE OOLOGIST. 



31 



Studies on Certain Fringillidae. 

 The Grass Finch. 



rriHAT little bird which springs \\\) before 

 you, as you are wauderitig through a 

 pasture or meadow, aud after flutteriug ir- 

 regularly in the air for a moment, sliowing 

 a pair of white outer feathers in its tail, 

 plunges suddenly, and rather awkwardly 1 

 into the grass again, a short distance away, j 

 can seldom be mistaken by the young nat- \ 

 uralist, if he will notice the characteristic | 

 by which it is easily distinguished when 

 upon the wing — the white lateral tail feath- 

 ers. Perhaps you are traveling along the 

 road, gun in liand, collecting box slung 

 over your shoulder, and you see a modest 

 little Sparrow sitting on a fence-rail, atten- 

 tively observing you, though with no indi- 

 cation of fear. You usually regard it 

 thoughtlessly, assuming it to be one of the 

 three or four commoner Sparrows one can 

 see at almost any moment in the fields ; yet ! 

 you often almost reproach yourself for not 1 

 observing closely what might have been a 

 species new or desirable to you, and which ; 

 you declined to destroy, because of the prob- I 

 ability of its being a bird with which you j 

 are well acquainted ; but when it takes j 

 wing and flits a little farther along the rail, 

 exposing its peculiar markings, you are at 

 once at ease concerning its identity, and do j 

 not afterward regret that you had not killed , 

 that little Sparrow upon the fence. Thus 

 it is with nuiny other small, aud even large 

 birds which are very similar ; unless you 

 are at once satisfied — by hearing their song 

 or notes, or noticing some distinguishing 

 mark in their plunuige — that you have no 

 necessity for destroying what would turn 

 out to be a common species. 



Fooecetes (jramineus is well known to all 

 ornithologists. It is, next lo the Song aud 

 Chipping Sparrows, the commonest species 

 of Sparrow to be found in Eastern North 

 America. We have observed it often in 

 such large numbers in the fields, that one 

 might be led to remark that it is the com- 

 monest species by far ; but this is no cri- 



terion as to its general abundance, for, dur- 

 ing the early spring, and for the remainder 

 of the season after the breeding period, they 

 are quite erratic, and one frequently notes 

 the great abundance of Grass Finches in 

 cei'tain fields (though not at all in flocks, 

 but pursuing each its own avocation, and 

 departing alone, just as it happens) ; while 

 at other times, in a hard day's tramp thro' 

 pastures and meadows which they generally 

 frequent, one can scarcely account for the 

 very diminished few that rise at long inter- 

 vals from the grass and fences. Upland 

 pastures, studded with tb.istles and weeds, 

 and containing moist areas, are mostly fre- 

 quented for nesting, but quite often one will 

 find several nests in succession, in the long 

 grass of a meadow. When the nest is ap- 

 proached too closely, the bird usually flut- 

 ters confusedly up before you, and ordina- 

 rily attempts to draw your attention by re- 

 peated feints, often exercised so skillfully 

 and naturally, that the tyro is commonly 

 induced to suppose he has accidentally stum- 

 bled upon a maimed bird, Avhich he imag- 

 ines easily caught, and only finds out his 

 mistake, when, in after days, he reads of 

 this peculiar method of many birds, to al- 

 lure an intruder from their domiciles and 

 eggs, or young ; oftentimes it will merely 

 flit to a prominent object a few yards dis- 

 tant, and betray its (•oncern by uttering a 

 restless chirp ; at others — and this is its 

 safest and most deceiving measure — it flies 

 to a short distance and drops unconcerned- 

 ly into the grass a";aiu. 



Mr. W. H. Ballon has donated to the 

 museum of the North Western University, 

 at Evanston, 111., a classified collection of 

 North American birds' eggs, numbering 

 over 1,0UU specimens, 210 species, 150 

 genera ; also numerous nests. The collec- 

 tion is valued at $500. 



Thi-: " Rose-breasted Grosbeak," illus- 

 trated with a beautiful engraving, may be 

 obtained at this office. Price, 10 cents. 



