MORE WINTER EXPLOITS. 31 



white, while his long tail was handsomely 

 barred with black and white. What a pity 

 that so regal a bird should be a conscience- 

 less freebooter preying on our beautiful and 

 innocent song birds ! 



I was much interested in a colony of song 

 s]3arrows dwelling in a marsh during the same 

 winter. One day when the snow lay deej) 

 everywhere a sparrow hawk was prowling 

 about the marsh, and when I waded along the 

 stream I could find but two of my song spar- 

 rows. A day or two later not a sparrow was 

 to be found, but two murderous hawks were 

 gliding around in their oily way. No doubt 

 the bloodthirsty birds had killed some of the 

 innocent sparrows, for the bushes and weeds 

 were so thickly covered with snow that they 

 could find very few places in which to hide 

 from their merciless enemies. 



While the snow lasted no sparrows were 

 to be found in the marsh, but you may imagine 

 my joy and surprise to find that they returned 

 — at least some of them — when the snow melt- 

 ed. They had perhaps sought better hiding 

 places when the hawks came, and remained 

 concealed until it was safe to return to their 

 favorite feeding ground in the swamp. 



How the snowbirds and tree sparrows de- 



