WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



rather than elongated, and will average about 

 .90 by .60 of an inch. I can find no variations 

 worth stating between the eggs of the different 

 varieties. Those from the Pacific coast appear 

 to be the largest, and those from Southern locali- 

 ties the smallest; but the variety in size, shape, 

 ground-color, and pattern is almost limitless, and 

 I repeat that the strongest identification is nec- 

 essary to make sure between these eggs and those 

 of the swamp-sparrow, the grass-finch, the white- 

 throat, and several other members of the family. 



The female sits eleven or twelve days, occasion- 

 ally relieved by the male while she takes a brief 

 rest. He assiduously provides her with food from 

 hour to hour, but spends all his leisure at home, 

 ready to resist invasion or insult, and enlivening 

 the tedium of her sitting with his love ditties. 



When the young are born, both parents are ex- 

 ceedingly devoted to their wants, carefully re- 

 moving every trace of the old egg-shells and all 

 foul matter far from the nest, and working with 

 great energy to keep the hungry mouths filled. 

 The nestlings are fed upon the young of man3^ 

 small insects, and as they grow older are given 

 larger larvae, earthworms, house-flies, plant -lice, 

 ants, and small night-flying moths. When twelve 



154 



