6o 



THE MUSEUM. 



April and leisurely passes north, stop- 

 ping to breed anywhere north of 44 ° 

 north latitude and a few remaining at 

 43 ° . A well known species, known 

 to many as the Pea-bod-y bird from a 

 fancied resemblance to this word in its 

 song. 



Tree Sparrow, 

 Spizclla jiioiitico/a, Gmel. 

 Found generally in November, Dec- 

 ember and March. Not rarely taken 

 in February and sometimes in January. 

 As a rule the birds pass farther south. 

 It is a lively, pleasing bird from the 

 far north, which seeks the bushes and 

 hedge-rows, much such quarters as 

 are selected by the snow-birds, but if 

 any different, then lower land. The 

 tree sparrow likes to haunt the bushes 

 at the edges of rapid streams which do 

 not freeze over and in these situations 

 may be found throughout the winter 

 even when the snow is deep. The 

 song is a pleasing jingle. The birds 

 all leave us for the north in early 

 April. 



Chipping Sparrow, Hair-bird, 

 Spi.:;clla sacialis. Wils. 



It is to be doubted if anyone has 

 ever written a complete account of 

 this little, unobtrusive sparrow. Yet, 

 though so throughly ignored, it is a 

 very interesting bird, and undoubtedly 

 fills its position in bird-dom as well as 

 the most gaudy, noisy , members of 

 bird-life. From, the time of its arrival 

 throughout nest-building, the care of 

 its young, and in its daily life among 

 us, it furnishes an unsurpassed e.xam- 

 ple of uprightness, and devotion. The 

 excellence of its architectural skill is 

 scarcely paralleled and the spotted 

 blue eggs which it lays are almost un- 



equaled by those of any others of our 

 birds. At times this confiding, unsus- 

 picious bird cocks its head, and utters 

 its characteristic song or rather twitter. 

 The notes chip chip repeated ten to 

 twenty-two times in a monotonous 

 key, undoubtedly express as deep a 

 feeling of joyousness, and may an- 

 swer for as great a tribute of praise, 

 as does the louder and more compli- 

 cated offering of the gaudy Rose-breast- 

 ed Grosbeak. Dear little chipping 

 sparrow, ever faithful in your return 

 to our door yard; you occupy a niche 

 in my feelings as well as do your larger 

 associates. It arrives in March usual- 

 ly, but sometimes in April, and stays 

 till late in October. In the month of 

 May it builds a nest which may well 

 excite speculation in the minds of the 

 lovers of the curious. In this tree or 

 bush nest are deposited four eggs of a 

 lovely shade of blue, spotted and 

 blotched with black and sometimes 

 brown markings. 



Field Sparrow, 



Spizcl/a pusilla, Wils. 



A very interesting but shy and re- 

 tiring bird. It has three distinct, clear, 

 ringing songs, the best known of which 

 starts in slowly and ends in a rapid 

 twitter. Arrives in early April and 

 builds a nest generally intirely of grass 

 in the month of May. This nest with 

 four spotted eggs is usually placed in 

 a crotch of a low bush at from one to 

 four feet from the ground, but is oc- 

 casionally built on the level or slightly 

 above it. 



Clay-colored Sparrow, 

 Spizclla pallida, Swain. 



Embraced by three lists in the state, 

 but I know nothing of the species. 



