THE BAY-WINGED SPARROW. 155 



Hairbird, sometimes given to this species. The nest, placed 

 in any shrub, bush, vine, on the piazza, or apple-tree, is 

 never very near the ground, and may be pretty well up. 

 The eggs, 4 or 5, .68 x -48, are a bright bluish-green, specked 

 at the large end with reddish-brown and black. There are 

 generally two broods in a season, the first appearing early 

 in June. I have in my possession almost a perfect Albino 

 of this species. 



Habitat, "Eastern United States; breeding from Virginia 

 northward; wintering from the same point s'outhward." 

 (Coues.) It is quite common in New Brunswick and Nova 

 Scotia, and also on Manitoulin Island, and on the main land 

 to the north. 



THE BAY-WINGED SPARROW. 



Not many hours either earlier or later than the morning 

 of the 7th of April, we hear, in this locality, the first song of 

 the Bay- winged Sparrow, or Grass Finch (Pocecetes gramineus). 

 Almost at the same hour it is here in great numbers; and 

 throughout our latitude the fields and pastures are every- 

 where enlivened by its appearance and by its pleasing 

 song. By the white feathers on the sides of the tail, becom- 

 ing conspicuous as the bird alights, by the general lightness 

 of color, and by its habit of skulking along so as barely to 

 keep out of the way, this bird is readily distinguished from 

 all the rest of our Sparrows. On taking it into the hand, 

 one notes the patch of reddish, or bay, on the * shoulder of 

 the wing, from which it receives its more common name. 

 The length is about six inches, and male and female are 

 alike. Associating the above distinguishing characters with 

 the general appearance of our Sparrows, the bird will be 

 readily made out as our commonest summer resident of the 

 pastures, the open fields, and the road-sides. On its first 

 appearance among us in spring, and by the time it leaves 



