68 



THE WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 



General Range. Eastern North America, west to the Plains, north to Lab- 

 rador and the Fur countries. Breeds from the northern tier of states northward, 

 and winters from Massachusetts southward. 



Range in Ohio. An abundant spring and fall migrant. Winters in large 

 numbers in the extreme southern part of the state. 



BOTH in spring and fall immense numbers of these Sparrows pursue a 

 leisurely course through our state, while the southern quarter of it conven- 

 iently marks the northern limit of their winter distribution. 



Brush-piles, the tops of fallen trees, and the thickets of second-growth 

 clearings furnish rendezvous for little companies of from twenty to a hundred 

 of these birds. Here they scratch among the fallen leaves, kicking absurdly 

 with both feet, after the fashion of Towhee, or else cull clammy sweets of 

 slug and bug from rotting logs. 



The greater part of the day is spent in seclusion, resting and recuperating 

 for or from the long journey, but like all birds, except Owls, they are quite 

 active in the early morning. In common with the Owls, however, they enjoy 

 the evening hours. As the sun begins to sink in the west, the White-throats 

 gather from scattered pastures to indulge a game of tag, chasing each other 

 about with merry calls and cries, or stopping now and then to snatch a last 

 morsel of food. As the shades of twilight deepen they bestow themselves for 

 the night in some chosen thicket, not without much jostling and sniggering, 

 quite like healthy children after a romp. 



Being a sociable bird White-throat makes frequent use of a penetrating 

 tsccp, by which to trail his companions through the brushy mazes. They have 

 also a metallic chink, still sibilant if such a combination may be conceived 

 to express alarm and protest. In springtime the song proper is perfected, as 

 we suppose, before the birds leave for the higher latitudes. It consists nor- 

 mally of six drawling, mournful, whistled notes, of which the last three or four 

 have a slightly tremulous quality. The initiatory note is either much lower 

 or a little higher than the others, which are given on one key or else descend 

 by fractional tones. The whole may be represented as, Oh dear, dear, de-e-ear, 

 de-e-ear, de-ear, or, Hoo, he-ew, he-ezv, he-e-e-ew, he-e-ew, he-e-ew. Most 

 western writers, when consulted upon this point, dutifully repeat the tradition, 

 said to have originated in Xew England, that the bird says "Peabody, peabody, 

 peabody," and hence is properly called the Peabody Bird. One cannot pre- 

 dict what may happen further north or east, but I lift the voice of one crying 

 in the wilderness that the bird does not utter anything remotely resembling 

 the word Peabodv while in Ohio. 



