FIELD SPARROW 301 



the last three days, I was sung to by the field sparrow. 

 For music I heard their jingle from time to time. 

 That the music the pines were set to, and I have no 

 doubt they will build many a nest under their shelter. 

 It would seem as if such a field as this — a dry open or 

 half-open pasture in the woods, with small jjines scat- 

 tered in it — was well-nigh, if not quite, abandoned to 

 this one alone among the sparrows. The surface of the 

 earth is portioned out among them. By a beautiful law 

 of distribution, one creature does not too much interfere 

 with another. I do not hear the song sparrow here. As 

 the pines gradually increase, and a wood-lot is formed, 

 these birds will withdraw to new pastures, and the 

 thrushes, etc., will take their place. Yes, as the walls 

 of cities are fabled to have been built by music, so my 

 pines were established by the song of the field sparrow. 

 They commonly place their nests here under the shelter 

 of a little pine in the field. 



[^ee also under General and Miscellaneous, p. 403.] 



SLATE-COLORED JUNCO ; SLATE-COLORED SNOWBIRD ; 

 FRINGILLA HYEMALIS [ JUNCO HYEMALIS] 



April 14, 1852. The slate-colored snowbird's (for 

 they are still about) is a somewhat shrill jingle, like the 

 sound of ramrods when the order has been given to a 

 regiment to " return ramrods " and they obey strag- 

 glingly. 



3farch 25, 1853. The Fringilla hyemalis sing most 

 in concert of any bird nowadays that I hear. Sitting 

 near together on an oak or pine in the woods or an elm 

 in the village, they keep up a very pleasant, enlivening, 



