THE OOLOGIST 



71 



Studies on Certain Fringillidae. — 

 The White-throated Sparrow. 



fpiIE birds liuve all made preparations I'or 

 departing to tlieir winter homes, and tlie 

 hedges and fences are occupied now and then 

 by a little bird whose ruffled appearance and 

 melancholy look plainly say : "1 am cold 

 and this country is dreary ; why linger long- 

 er when I might be enjoying with my fel- 

 lows, the bright, sunny south? Winter is 

 near, and snow is on the horizon — why 

 should 1 linger?" Soon he, too, is gone ; 

 and the days become dark, clouds — cold, 

 heavy clouds — lill the sky, searching winds 

 conuiience to herald the approach of a sea- 

 sou of ice and snow, and flurries of sleet 

 admonish the husbandman to be looking a- 

 bont him — then there comes another little 

 l)ird, a pert, jaunty little fellow, whose 

 quick, lively "chink" neutralizes half the 

 dreariness, and whose beautiful song is 

 cheering amid the waste of blast and storm. 

 This is the White-throated Sparrow or Pea- 

 body bii'd. Perhaps he is not alone : there 

 may be numbers of White-crowned and Fox 

 Sparrows, Snow Birds and Tree Sparrows 

 with him. He does not care for the cold : 

 winter, with all its fierce storms and pene- 

 trating cold, has charms for him, and while 

 his less hardy companions quail before the 

 prospect, he, with cheerful song and exult- 

 ant mien, makes nature seem glad again. 



The White-throated Sparrow (^Zontrich- 

 ia alhicollis of most scientists) is usually 

 considered a migratory species in the Middle 

 States, but it certainly breeds, and quite 

 abundantly, in New York, and likely also 

 in Maine. It is seen in the fall and spring 

 about low pastures, especially on the bor- 

 ders of the woods and iu swanipy, bushy 

 localities, where its lively habits and pleas- 

 ing song are most often uoted. It is easily 

 recognized, and when once seen is never 

 confounded with another species. In the 

 early morning the fiute-like uotes, repeated 

 in a quivering, delicate, and exceedingly 

 mellow tone, the first usually commencing 

 high, the other three somewhat lower, or 



vice versa, have a great charm for the lis- 

 tener. It is not a very shy bird, but is 

 never so intimate as the Song and Swamp 

 or Bay-winged Sparrows. It is wont to vis- 

 it our gardens quite frequently to pick up 

 the crumbs and grain which are always 

 more or less abundant about the walks and 

 steps. 



In the mountainous portions of the United 

 States, north of about 43^ 10' N. Latitude, 

 the White throated Sparrow breeds. Its 

 eggs and nest are not as well known to col- 

 lectors as they would be if it bred in more 

 accessible situations ; for among those who 

 spend the summer in the northern wilder- 

 nesses, there are remarkably i'ew natural- 

 ists, — although there is a vast amount of 

 material and rare opportunities offered him 

 who would make these regions a field for 

 investigation in ornithology. The nest is 

 commonly built in low bushes or upon the 

 ground. It does not differ much from the 

 nests of our familiar ground-building Spar- 

 rows, though it may be larger and occasion- 

 ally supplied with material different from 

 that which is employed in populated dis- 

 tricts. The eggs, laid during tlie last week 

 in May, are five, from .5G to .G4 in breadth, 

 by .88 to .92 in length, and covered with 

 markings of burnt sienna, burnt umber, 

 chocolate brown and paler tints of the same 

 colors ; the ground color is grayish or ash 

 white, with a slight tinge of bluish. The 

 eggs greatly resemble those of the common- 

 er ground-building Sparrows, and it is of- 

 ten difficult to decide the difference between 

 them ; the liability to variation is probably 

 also as great as iu the eggs of other species. 



The sound of running water has a great 

 charm for confiued birds, and singing birds 

 will start up a most enthusiastic strain when 

 they hear it, which usually subsides as the 

 sound ceases. This is especially true in 

 the mating and nesting season. 



Read the announcement in the supplement 

 and show it to your oblogical friends. 



