March 



from which they gather much of their food, often 

 alighting too upon weeds and bushes in search 

 of seeds, but rarely found in trees for that pur- 

 pose, resorting thither chiefly to rest or sing or to 

 escape danger. They are all small birds, mostly 

 from six to seven inches long, and for the most 

 part in the rather homely garb of grayish-brown 

 streaked with a darker shade. This prevailing 

 color makes them easily distinguishable from 

 all other species, but difficult of identification 

 one from another, a difficulty that is increased 

 by their great uniformity of size. 



As songsters many of them are worthless, 

 and some are quite pleasing, but none of them 

 notable (unless it be the fox sparrow, which is 

 quite on the verge of greatness), the best of them 

 being characterized by simplicity rather than 

 depth and magnificence, and perhaps the status 

 of the finest sparrow-vocalists would be correct- 

 ly defined by calling them ''ballad-singers." 

 One of the most pleasing, the song sparrow, 

 certainly wins his universal approval quite as 

 much by his heartiness and enthusiasm as by 

 his vocal ability. 



One of the advantages of studying birds in 

 spring is that they are then most intensely them- 



8i 



