24: HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 



April IT. — Langille says: "Not many hours earlier 

 or later than April Tth we hear the vesper sparrow 

 {Poocetes gvammeus\ and almost at the same hour they 

 are here in great numbers ; and throughout our latitude 

 the fields and pastures are everywhere enlivened by 

 their appearance." My experience is that April weather 

 has much to do in determining the day of the arrival of 

 this species, as well as of many others. This year none 

 of them were here before the 11th, and then only in 

 limited numbers. Some years you may not hear one in 

 this vicinity before April 20th, while in other seasons 

 the latter part of March may bring them. A record in 

 my note-book for fifteen years gives the middle of April 

 as the average date. As remarked in a former paper, 

 the weather has much to do in hastening or delaying 

 the arrival of the earlier migrants, just as it has on the 

 opening of the first wild flowers. But early or late in 

 coming, the presence in any considerable numbers of 

 these delightful birds brings glad tidings and a promise, 

 not often broken, of real spring weather. They are not 

 like the song sparrows, cheerful amid snow and sleet, 

 singing with the weather at zero, but delight rather in 

 the genial days of spring and summer. In other char- 

 acteristics these two bear a close resemblance. They 

 are about the same size and shape, and much the same 

 general color. The vespers are a little lighter gray, 

 less rufus on the back, and not so strongly marked. 

 They have the distinguishing feature of two or three 

 white lateral tail quills, which show plainly when they 

 fly. They are less cityjbirds in summer than the melo- 



