LXIH 



WHITE-THROATED SPARROW; PEABODY BIRD 

 555. Zonotrichia, albicollis 



To my mind this is the most beautiful of the Sparrow 

 family. There is something so harmonious in the beauti- 

 ful white and black head and throat markings that to 

 see the bird is to admire 'it and to bestow upon it the 

 title of the beauty-prize winner among the Sparrows. 



The White-throated Sparrow is a friendly, sociable 

 bird and is usually found in company with Juncos and 

 other Sparrows ; its crown is black, divided by a median 

 white line over the eyes; a yellow spot extends from 

 the eyes to nostrils and there is a black line through the 

 eyes. The throat is pure white, the breast and edges of 

 the wings are a dark ash and the body is yellowish-chest- 

 nut. (Fig. 98.) 



This species of Sparrow nests on the ground, or in 

 low bushes, and lays from four to six eggs. It feeds 

 mostly on the ground while scratching in the leaves and 

 fallen weeds. It is fond of hedges and thickets and is 

 shy and hard to drive from its thicket hiding-places. If 

 driven out, it quickly returns or flies to the nearest brushy 

 ground. 



In early spring and late fall the song of the White- 

 throated Sparrow is as musical and voluble in our clime 

 as in its Canadian summer home. During the mating 

 season, from morn till night, may be heard its "pea, pea, 

 peabody, peabody!" repeated in a monotone until the 

 charm of an otherwise sweet song becomes tiresome by 

 its monotony. 



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