284 BIRDS OF THE NEW YORK CITY REGION 



SONG SPARROW (Melospiza melodia) Fig. 25 

 A common resident throughout the territory, this well 

 known bird needs little comment here. Its numbers are 

 greatly reenforced by transients on migration in spring and 

 fall. It is not quite so tame as the White-throat and Junco, 

 rarely if ever invading the city streets and back yards, as 

 those species do every year. 



CENTRAL PARK. One or two nesting pairs still remain, 

 and an individual or two may still winter; now chiefly an 

 abundant transient, March 6, 1909 (Griscom) to May 10, 1921 

 (Griscom) ; September 26, 1922 (Carter, Griscom, Rowland) 

 to November 5, 1909 (Griscom). 



LINCOLN'S SPARROW (Melospiza lincolni) 

 The shy and secretive habits of this little known Sparrow 

 give it a reputation for rarity which it is far from deserving. 

 While uncommon it is a regular transient in our area, but will 

 never be seen, except by a lucky "fluke," unless specially 

 looked for. In spring it is particularly fond of water courses, 

 the banks of which are grown with bushes, where it 

 remains down among the roots and disappears at the slight- 

 est noise. By going as rapidly and noisily as possible through 

 such a tract, a trim, small, grayish-brown Song Sparrow will 

 sometimes flash into view for a second as it dives headlong 

 into the bushes a few feet ahead. Making every possible 

 effort to be quiet, the student should next make a wide detour 

 and return to the bank ahead of where the bird was seen to 

 enter. In this way I have had the bird come to me within six 

 feet. If a confederate be available, and the bird can be put 

 in between the observers, one or both can obtain an observa- 

 tion. Lincoln's Sparrow will occur, however, in dense shrub- 

 bery almost everywhere, and I see it every spring in Central 

 Park. It is exceptional to see more than one or two a season, 

 and then it will occur on the big waves only. In spring it does 

 not consort with other Sparrows, but in the fall it associates 

 with Song and Swamp Sparrows, and is lost in their greater 



