THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 317 



It is composed early in June of dried weeds, small sticks 

 and roots, bits of moss, leaves, down, and especially wool, 

 lined with fine rootlets and some horse-hair. The eggs, 4 or 

 5, averaging some 1.00 X .75, are creamy- white, spotted and 

 blotched with brown and lilac in such a manner as to make 

 them always distinguishable. 



Late in August these birds may be seen in families, and 

 by September they leave for the south, wintering in the 

 most Southern States, and southward even to Peru, whence 

 they return throughout North America, breeding in their 

 entire range as far as 57. 



The Gray Kingbird ( Tyrannus dominicensis) of Florida and 

 the extreme Southern States is 9.00-9.50 long, with the tail 

 slightly forked; brownish-slate or ash above, darker on the 

 head, and auriculars dusky; white below, shading into ash 

 on the breast and sides; under coverts and edgings of the 

 dusky wings and tail, yellowish. Its habits are similar to 

 those of the former, but it is more noisy. It is merely acci- 

 dental in the north. 



The elegant Swallow- tailed Flycatcher (Milvulus forficatus) 

 of the southwest barely reaches the lower Mississippi. 



THE WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 



In the latter part of the afternoon of this same tenth of 

 May, as I ride by a large orchard belonging to one of my 

 parishioners, I am delighted with a whole chorus of White- 

 crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys), making melody 

 in the blooming branches. The song is quite peculiar, 

 whee-who-who-zee-zee-zee, the first three notes in a clear whis- 

 tle, and the last three in a sort of jew's-harp tone, the whole 

 being decidedly pleasing, and not at all like that of the 

 White-throat. Appearing already in the latter part of 

 April, they are very common along the fences, hedges and 



