SAVANNA SPARROW. 325 



SAVANNA SPARROW. 



ground sparrow. 

 Ammodramus sandwichensis savanna. 



Char. Above, streaked with grayish brown, black, rufous, and gray ; 

 line over the eyes and edges of wings yellow ; crown with median stripe 

 of yellowish white ; line from lower mandible yellowish white bordered 

 by brown ; below, white tinged with buff, breast and sides streaked with 

 brown and black. Length 5>^ inches. 



Nest. In a salt-marsh or along a river bank, sometimes in a dry 

 inland meadow, concealed by tall grass or tuft of weeds ; composed of 

 grass, sometimes mixed with fine roots, and occasionally lined with 

 horse-hair. 



Egs^s. 3-6 ; variable in shape, size, and markings, usually dull white 

 or with green tint, thickly spotted with dark brown, rich brown, and 

 lilac; 070 X 0.55 



This Sparrow, allied to the preceding, but far less familiar, is 

 commonly seen in this part of New England from April to 

 October, migrating towards the South in severe weather, though 

 many pass the whole winter in the Middle States. In Georgia 

 and West Florida these- birds are rather numerous in the cold 

 season, migrating in quest of food probably from the West ; 

 and the whole species generally show a predilection for the 

 warm and sheltered vicinage of the sea, where the seeds and 

 insects they feed on are most abundant. On their first arrival 

 in Massachusetts they frequent the sandy beaches and shores 

 of the bays in quest of Cicindelce and other coleopterous 

 insects which frequent such situations ; and they are at this 

 time exceedingly fat, though their moult is not yet completed. 

 In summer this shy and timid species lives wholly in pastures 

 or grass fields, and often descends to the ground in quest of 

 food. Its nest, also laid in the grass and made of the dry 

 blades of the same, very similar to that of the Song Sparrow, is 

 usually built about the close of April. 



In the month of March, in Georgia, I observed these Spar- 

 rows in the open grassy pine woods on the margins of small 

 swamps or " galls." At times they utter a note almost exactly 

 similar to the chirpings of a cricket, so that it might be easily 

 mistaken for that insect. At other times they utter a few 



