A PUZZLE IN BIRDS 



Field Sparrow a plain breast and reddish bill, the 

 Chippy a distinct white stripe over each eye and a gray 

 rump, with the whitest breast of them all. 



About the same time as the Field Sparrow, or soon 

 after it, comes the Vesper Sparrow, or Grass Finch, with 

 its simple but pretty song. This is the species with the 

 bay-colored patch on the bend of the wing and the 

 white outer tail feathers. This last is especially char- 

 acteristic of the Junco, but one cannot confuse that 

 slate-colored bird with the brownish Vesper, and at any 

 rate the former disappears on its northward migration 

 soon after the other begins to arrive. 



Somewhat similar in haunts and habits is the Savanna 

 Sparrow, which also arrives in early April. They are 

 found in dry open fields, but also in meadows or salt 

 marshes. They have streaked breasts, like the Song 

 Sparrow, but are smaller birds. In most inland locali- 

 ties they are not common, but in many seacoast regions, 

 and notably along the Northern coast, any sparrow 

 which one may see is more than likely to be a Savanna. 

 They haunt the grassy wind-swept headlands or even 

 the sand dunes. 



On the coast we also may meet the Sharp-tailed and 

 Seaside Sparrows on the salt marshes, skulking in the 

 long grass, and in late fall and winter the rather rare 

 Ipswich Sparrow. I have found a number of the latter 

 in dry open places not far back from the sea, or on 

 islands. 



But we have not yet exhausted the possibilities of the 

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