AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGy. 



141 



decidedly a perching bird. We all know that he is distinctively a ground 

 bird. 



In the meadows, green with grass and weeds, where the land is rather 

 dry, is his favorite resort. When flushed from his grassy coverts, he 

 rises with a quick rather rapid flight, flying low over the grass tops, usual- 

 ly, not to go very far before alighting. Oftentimes he perches upon fence 

 posts, but more often upon grass stems or a single rock in the middle of 

 the field. 



His song is a twittering and rather pleasing little ditty. It closely re- 

 sembles the shrilling of certain grasshoppers, but if one will listen closely 

 he will detectinthe prelude and ending a faint warbling note. On account 



of the resemblance of the squeaking part of its song to the noise made by 

 grasshoppers, we understand how it came by its very appropriate name. 

 It is a sociable bird, loving the company of its fellows, and wherever 

 €ne pair is noted there are likely to be others in the neighborhood. Mr. 

 Langille tells as in his "Our Birds in their Haunts," that this bird shows 

 a very jealous disposition as regards his singing habits. He says; "Un- 

 pretending as this song is the singer is, nevertheless ambitious, for on 

 hearing another of its species singing near by, it will fly to it, and, diving 

 into the grass, soon put it to silence. The nest is made entirely of dried 

 grass tufts. The nesting season is late in May. In Virginia it is exceed- 



