68 THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 
General Range.—Eastern North America, west to the Plains, north to Lab- 
rador and the Fur countries. Breeds from the northern tier of states northward, 
and winters from Massachusetts southward. 
Range in Ohio.—An abundant spring and fall migrant. Winters in large 
numbers in the extreme southern part of the state. 
BOTH in spring and fall immense numbers of these Sparrows pursue a 
leisurely course through our state, while the southern quarter of it conven- 
iently marks the northern limit of their winter distribution. 
Brush-piles, the tops of fallen trees, and the thickets of second-growth 
clearings furnish rendezvous for little companies of from twenty to a hundred 
of these birds. Here they scratch among the fallen leaves, kicking absurdly 
with both feet, after the fashion of Towhee, or else cull clammy sweets of 
slug and bug from rotting logs. 
The greater part of the day is spent in seclusion, resting and recuperating 
for or from the long journey, but like all birds, except Owls, they are quite 
active in the early morning. In common with the Owls, however, they enjoy 
the evening hours. As the sun begins to sink in the west, the White-throats 
gather from scattered pastures to indulge a game of tag, chasing each other 
about with merry calls and cries, or stopping now and then to snatch a last 
morsel of food. As the shades of twilight deepen they bestow themselves for 
the night in some chosen thicket, not without much jostling and sniggering, 
quite like healthy children after a romp. 
seing a sociable bird White-throat makes frequent use of a penetrating 
tseep, by which to trail his companions through the brushy mazes. ‘They have 
also a metallic chink, still sibilant—if such a combination may be conceived— 
to express alarm and protest. In springtime the song proper is perfected, as 
we suppose, before the birds leave for the higher latitudes. It consists nor- 
mally of six drawling, mournful, whistled notes, of which the last three or four 
have a slightly tremulous quality. The initiatory note is either much lower 
or a little higher than the others, which are given on one key or else descend 
by fractional tones. The whole may be represented as, Oh dear, dear, de-e-car, 
de-e-car, de-ear, or, Hoo, he-ew, he-ew, he-e-e-ew, he-e-ew, he-e-ew. Most 
western writers, when consulted upon this point, dutifully repeat the tradition, 
said to have originated in New England, that the bird says “Peabody, peabody, 
peabody,” and hence is properly called the Peabody Bird. One cannot pre- 
dict what may happen further north or east, but I lift the voice of one crying 
in the wilderness that the bird does not utter anything remotely resembling 
the word Peabody while in Ohio. 
