A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 233 



the short song fits these words very Avell. But when 

 this Sparrow sings his best music, all trembling with 

 love and joy, he forgets about such a simple thing as 

 the tea-kettle ! Now it is a grand banquet he tells 

 you of, with flowers and music ; then he stops sud- 

 denly, remembering that he is only a little brown bird, 

 and sings to his favorite alder bush by the brook a soft 

 apology for having forgotten himself. This Sparrow 

 even dreams music in the spring, when you will often 

 hear his notes in the darkest hours of the night. 



" The eggs are as varied as the songs, being light blue 

 or whitish, with every imaginable sort of brown marking 

 — no two sets are exactly alike. Birds' eggs often vary 

 in color, like tlieir plumage, and the different hues seem 

 fitted to liide the eggs ; for those of birds that nest in 

 holes and need no concealing are usually plain white. 



'' If you ever make a bird calendar at Orchard Farm, 

 you may be able to write this Sparrow's name in every 

 month of the year. Another good thing about this 

 happy faithful bird is, that his tribe increases in Bird- 

 land, in spite of all dangers." 



" My mother loves Song Sparrows," said Rap. " She 

 says they are a great deal of company for her when she 

 is doing her w^ashing out under the trees. She thinks 

 they tell her that people can be happy, even if they 

 wear plain clothes and have to be snowed up in the 

 country half the winter. She is right, too ; the Song 

 Sparrows only tell her what happens to themselves." 



The Song Sparrow 



Length about six inches. 



Head and back all streaked with gray and brown, and a brown 

 stripe on each side of throat. 



