146 Sketches of Some Common Birds. 



as the special functions of the sufferers. We may later 

 come to understand that one cowbird is worth two bobo- 

 links after all. 



FIELD SPAEEOW. 



No other inhabitant of the bushes is more abundant 

 than the little field sparrow, whose resemblance to the 

 common chipping sparrow causes it frequently to be over- 

 looked, or mistaken for its better known relative. In- 

 deed, its similarity to the chippy has been recognized in 

 its popular titles of "field chippy" and "red-billed 

 chippy," the latter name suggesting one of the chief points 

 of difference between it and its congener, and the former 

 title indicating its preference for rural life. In all respects 

 it is the equal of the regular chipping sparrow. Its song 

 is louder, fuller, and more modulated, its disposition is 

 gentle, its manners are interesting, and its* activity in the 

 service of the gardener and farmer is fully as noticeable 

 as that of its more confiding cousin. In its chosen resorts 

 it is fully as common as the chipping sparrow about our 

 dwellings ; and if its disposition led it to dwell nearer our 

 homes, it would be an equal favorite. However, its retir- 

 ing nature leads it to seek seclusion, and it is rarely seen 

 about the lawns and gardens, where the chipping sparrow 

 prefers to dwell. When we visit the field sparrow in its 

 favored haunts, however, we find that its secluded ways 

 are not due to shyness or timidity ; for it trills cheerily as 

 though unconcerned about our proximity, and continues 

 in its pretty ways regardless of our presence. Its love of 

 rural life is as marked as the chippy's liking for its urban 

 home, and we think none the less of the little field spar- 

 row for its manifest regard for the peace and quiet of its 

 country home. While we who live in the villages and 

 suburban places are cheered by the rattling trill of the 

 chippy, and can study its confiding manners and observe 

 its domestic life in our gardens, our dooryards, and along 

 our streets, the residents of rural districts can study with 

 the same interest and advantage the behavior and econ- 

 omy of the equally attractive field sparrow. 



The untrained student of birds who begins his observa- 



