THE SWAMP SPARROW. 323 



There lias been considerable discussion among ornitholo- 

 gists regarding this bird ; and many are of the belief, that, 

 from its irregular habits, there are two species found in 

 New England. I have examined with great care many 

 specimens, and have attentively observed their habits, and 

 think that it yet remains to be proved that we have more 

 than one species. Late in October, this species assembles in 

 small detached flocks, and leaves New England for its 

 southern home. 



MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS. Baird, 

 The Swamp Sparrow. 



Fringilla palustris, Wilson. Am. Orn., III. (1811) 49. Aud. Orn. Biog , I. 

 (1831) 331; V. 508. 



Fringilla (Ammodromus) Georgiana, Nuttall. Man., I. (2d ed., 1840) 588. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Middle of the crown uniform chestnut; forehead black; superciliary streak, 

 sides of head and back and sides of neck, ash ; a brown stripe behind the eye ; back 

 broadly streaked with black; beneath whitish, tinged with ashy anteriorly, espe- 

 cially across the breast, and washed with yellowish-brown on the sides; a few obso- 

 lete streaks across the breast, which become distinct on its sides; wings and tail 

 strongly tinged with rufous; the tertials black, the rufous edgings changing 

 abruptly to white towards the end. 



Female with the crown scarcely reddish streaked with black, and divided by a 

 light line. 



In autumn the male of this species has the feathers of the crown each with a 

 black streak ; and the centre of the crown with an indistinct light stripe, materially 

 changing its appearance. 



The forehead is usually more or less streaked with black. 



Length, five and seventy-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, two and forty one- 

 hundredths inches. 



Hob. Eastern United States from the Atlantic to the Missouri. 



This bird, although not rare, is not so common as the 

 preceding. It is about equally distributed throughout New 

 England, and breeds in all these States. It arrives from 

 the South about the first week in April in Massachusetts ; 

 in Maine, about a fortnight later. It prefers the swampy 

 localities to all others, and is seldom found at any distance 

 from such places. The nest is built about the 10th of May. 

 It is constructed of leaves of grass and fine hair-like roots, 



