THE SPARROW AND FINCH FAMILY $1 
are all small, about the size of an English spar- 
row. They are dressed in dull, brownish colors, 
more or less streaked, and they live and get their 
food very largely on or near the ground. Their 
colors keep them from being easily seen on the 
ground. 
All of this group sing, and some of them are 
noted songsters, as the song sparrow, the white- 
throated sparrow, and the fox sparrow. The 
best known is the little song sparrow, who 1s 
found almost everywhere, and is dear to nearly 
every one. 
The Sone Sparrow is streaked all over in 
shades of brown. The breast is white, with 
the dark brown streaks coming together i an 
irregular-shaped spot, or sometimes two spots, in 
front. 
The nest of the song sparrow is on the ground 
or very near it. Sometimes it is in a tuft of 
grass, sometimes in a low bush a few inches up. 
One I found at the roots of a little clump of 
golden-rod, before it bloomed, of course. It 
was a slight affair, right among the stems, so 
that it could not be taken up without tearmg 
the plant. 
This bird is one of the first to come in the 
spring, and his song and the robin’s are the first 
