23 



In just such places as Indigo Bunt- 

 ings are found, TOWHEES will always 

 be present, namely dry thickets and 

 bush-covered side hills. The male Tow- 

 hee is modestly but handsomely clothed 

 and his mate, although not gowned as 

 brightly as he, is also very pretty. 



The call note, given by both sexes, 

 is a distinctive sharp "cherink," with 

 the accent on the last syllable. It is 

 this call that gives them one of their 

 common names, Chewink or Cherink. 

 They are very excitable birds when 

 anyone is near their nest and will flut- 

 ter about with spreading tail, cherinkin 

 at the tops of their voices. 



The song, which is given by the male 

 only, is a characteristic "pil-tow-hee-e- 

 e-e," the last syllable tremulous. Two 

 or more of them will take their sta- 

 tion in the leafy tops of their favorite 

 trees and sing back and forth for hours 

 early in the morning and again towards 

 sundown. The Towhee nest is built on 

 the ground, under a bush or clump of 

 weeds.' The white eggs are finely dot- 

 ted with reddish-brown. 



Loggerhead Shrike^ sometimes occur locally during the sum- 

 mer. They are smaller than the last species and the under 

 parts are plain white, while the breast of the larger 

 species is lightly barred with dusky. 



Such a magnificent species as the CARDINAL must be 

 mentioned even though it is a southern species and only ex- 

 tends its range north to southeastern New York and south- 

 ern New England. They frequent underbrush and thick- 

 ets and are more heard than seen even in their southern 

 haunts, where they are quite abundant. Their songs are 

 many and varied, chiefly composed of series of clear 

 whistles, sometimes in couplets. They are resident wherc- 

 ever found, although it seems very much out of place to 

 see birds of such plumage about when the earth is covered 

 with a white mantle. 



Space will allow of but mention of a few of our most 

 important and common species of Sparrows. Largest of 

 these, and one of the first to appear in spring, are FOX 

 SPARROWS on their way to their breeding grounds in 

 boreal regions. They are as large as some of the thrushes, 

 have a bright rufous tail, mixed gray and brown upper 

 parts and heavily spotted under parts. We see or hear 

 them as thev are scratchino; amono; the dead leaves; if we 



