OF NEW ENGLAND. 209 
I shall endeavor, so far as possible, to introduce him to my 
readers. ; 
The Swamp Sparrows are locally common throughout New 
England, but most so to the southward and eastward. They 
reach the neighborhood of Boston in the earlier part of April, 
and remain there until October or even November. They 
inhabit exclusively wet lands, chiefly those which are rather 
secluded, or which contain bushes and the like. They are 
shy, and it is almost impossible to study their habits except by 
penetrating their haunts and resting there motionless. They 
may be there observed to move from bush to bush, but not 
‘‘ jerking their tails as they fly,” or to run quite nimbly on the 
ground, where they find much of their food, which consists of 
seeds, berries, and insects. They are not so collective as the 
Song Sparrows often are, nor have I often seen them perched 
in trees. On the contrary, they are very terrestrial, often 
scratching like the Fox Sparrows, or wading in shallow water. 
(d). The Swamp Sparrows excel all our other finches in the 
variety of their distinct notes, and on this score are perhaps 
to be ranked as the first musicians of their family. Of these 
notes their mellow chuck, their harsh scold, and their song, bear 
a strong resemblance to the corresponding notes of the Cat- 
bird. This song is much less pleasing than the sweet, clear 
trill, much like that of the Pine Warbler or Snow-bird, which 
generally replaces it in spring, or their low warble occasionally 
to be heard in autumn. They have also a soft chip, a queru- 
lous note, and certain expressive twitters. Like the Song Spar- 
rows, who sing chiefly in the early morning and at dusk, they 
keep comparatively late hours, and often do not retire until it 
is almost dark. I remember to have seen one at evening in 
the eccentric expression of his passion during the season of 
love, dart from a thicket, mount in the air, and take quite a 
rapid, circuitous flight, continually uttering a fine, steady trill, 
until, having returned to the thicket, he dived into it, ejacula- 
ting a few broken musical notes, after which all was still. Song 
with birds is often a passion, or the effect of one, and the chaf- 
finches in France are said, when caged, and placed as rivals 
15 
