parts pale buffy, spotted with blackish on sides and 

 flanks. 



A dweller in open fields and meadows. The 

 male is known by its strikingly marked plumage 

 and wonderful song. The female is sparrow-like 

 in color and keeps mostly in cover of the grass, 

 where her nest is hidden. 



Vesper Sparrow 



540. Vesper Sparrow — Ponec'ctes gramineus 

 gramineus. 



Length 6% inches. 



Outer tail feathers white, showing plainly in 

 flight; "shoulders" reddish brown ; underparts white 

 breast and sides streaked with black and buffy; 

 upperparts brownish, streaked with black. 



The chosen haunts of this sparrow are pastures 

 and open waste places. It runs before you; often 

 it will fly on a short distance and await your ap- 

 proach, then fly again. Farm fences and telegraph 

 wires are much favored when it seeks a perch from 



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