January in Berkeley, 



Our winter birds are, on the whole, 

 a happy colony, for the weather seldom 

 grows so cold as on the day above 

 mentioned, and the rain must be excep- 

 tionally severe and driving to dampen 

 the ardor of bird nature. During the 

 milder rains the GambeFs white and 

 the golden-crowned sparrows seem to 

 enjoy the most perfect content, for at 

 no other season do they sing so con- 

 stantly. It is not a loud, enthusiastic 

 song, but rather a meditative, pensive 

 strain of a fine, sweet, long-drawn char- 

 acter. In the hedge-rows by the orchard, 

 when the birds are congregated in con- 

 siderable numbers during the course of 

 a dismal, slow, three weeks* rain, there 

 will be a perfect medley of sweet tones 

 from these two species. The white and 

 golden-crowned sparrows, adorned with 

 head-markings of black and white in 

 the one species and black and gold in 

 the other, are among the commonest 

 of our winter birds. Gambel's white- 

 crowned sparrow remains throughout 

 123 



