112 Birds Every Child Should Know 



FIELD SPARROW 



While the neighbourly song sparrow and the 

 swamp sparrow delight to be near water, the 

 field sparrow chooses to live in dry uplands 

 where stunted bushes and cedars cover the hills 

 and overgrown old fields, and towhees and 

 brown thrashers keep him company. He is 

 not fond of human society, however, and usually 

 flies away with wavering, uncertain flight from 

 bush to bush rather than submit to a close 

 scrutiny of his bright chestnut brown back and 

 crown, flesh-coloured bill, gray eyebrow, grayish 

 throat, buffy breast and light feet. Because 

 his tail is a trifle longer than the chippy's he is 

 slightly larger than the smallest of our sparrows. 

 Unless you notice that his bill is not black and 

 his head not marked with black and gray 

 streaks like the chippy's, you might easily 

 mistake him for his sociable, confiding little 

 cousin who comes hopping to the door. 



How differently he sings! Listen for him 

 some evening after sunset when his simple ves- 

 per hymn, clear, plaintive, sweet, rings from the 

 bush where he perches especially for the perform- 

 ance. Scarcely any two field sparrows sing pre- 

 cisely alike. Most of them, however, begin with 

 three clear, smooth, leisurely whistles — cheT" 

 wee, cher-wee, cher-wee — then hurry through 

 the other notes — cheo^ cheo-dee-dee-^ee, e, ^"— 



