NOVEMBER 119 



trim bird, with reddish crown and a dark breast 

 spot; and is one of our most familiar winter spe- 

 cies. After the blackbirds leave, ordinarily one 

 sees few large flocks of birds except those of this 

 sparrow. Though wdien alarmed they often fly 

 into the trees, their name is not very applicable to 

 their usual habits here in winter. They are most 

 frequently seen down in the channel of some 

 slough, or along the slope of a hill or even along 

 the roads, feeding on the seeds of low w^eeds. 

 They often chase one another through the w^eeds 

 or shrubbery, singing in slight, broken sparrow 

 strains ; their notes reminding one of the tinkling 

 of ice-clad w^eed-stalks — a delicate cymbal music. 

 When feeding among the matted weeds of a slough, 

 they are often quite silent, except for a very dim 

 alarm note, and one might pass very near w^ithout 

 discovering them. When the flock is aroused, long- 

 after the observer supposes them all flown a few 

 more mil generally spring up suddenly from their 

 cover. They are also often found in the company 

 of chickadees along the borders of woods. Their 

 notes are richer in the spring, becoming a real 

 song, and their April concert is one of the finest 

 w^e have. Today we saw one loosely spread flock 

 of perhaps one hundred and fifty birds, the outly- 

 ing members being hundreds of feet apart. One 

 bird flew to the top of a tall, solitary cottonwood in 

 mid-field, entirelv bare of foliaa-e but beaded ))v tlie 



