22 BIRD -SONGS ABOUT WORCESTER. 



farther north, leaving behind only a small 

 fraction of their number to spend the sum- 

 mer with us here in Massachusetts. The 

 song of this species is strikingly like the 

 song sparrow's, but the voice is not so 

 loud and ringing, and the two or three 

 opening notes are less sharply empha- 

 sized. In general the difference between 

 the two songs may be well expressed by 

 saying that the one is more declamatory, 

 the other more cantabile, — a difference 

 such as might have been expected, con- 

 sidering the nervous, impetuous disposition 

 of the song-sparrow^ and the placidity of 

 the baywing. The sparrow may be easily 

 identified by its size, which is considerably 

 larger than that of the song-sparrow, and 

 by the two white lateral quills of his tail, 

 — less conspicuous, however, than in the 

 snow bird, since there we have white 

 against black, while here we have white 

 against brown. John Burroughs finds in 

 this little vesper-sparrow one of his favor- 

 ite birds. Of him he says : " Not in 

 meadows or orchards, but in high, breezy 



