THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 25 



glossy brown, and is unrivalled in beauty by 

 any other neutral tint with which I am ac- 

 quainted. It is also remarkable for its firm- 

 ness and fineness. 



Notwithstanding the disparity in size and 

 color, the black-billed species has certain 

 peculiarities that remind one of the passen- 

 ger-pigeon. His eye, with its red circle, the 

 shape of his head, and his motions on alight- 

 ing and taking flight, quickly suggest the 

 resemblance ; though in grace and speed, 

 when on the wing, he is far inferior. His 

 tail seems disproportionately long, like that 

 of the red thrush, and his flight among the 

 trees is very still, contrasting strongly with 

 the honest clatter of the robin or pigeon. 



Have you heard the song of the field- 

 sparrow ? If you have lived in a pastoral 

 country with broad upland pastures, you 

 could hardly have missed him. Wilson, I 

 believe, calls him the grass-finch, and was 

 evidently unacquainted with his powers of 

 song. The two white lateral quills in his 

 tail, and his habit of running and skulking 

 a few yards in advance of you as you walk 

 through the fields, are sufficient to identify 

 him. Not in meadows or orchards, but in 

 high, breezy pasture-grounds, will you look 



