TWELVE WINTER BIRDS. 



299 



and Prof. S. A. Forbes found that 91 per cent, of the 

 food of 47 sparrows which he killed in an orchard in 

 May, was composed of insects ; four per cent, being 

 canker worms, which are so injurious to the foliage 

 of the apple tree. Moreover, the young of the 17 

 species which nest in the State are fed wholly upon 

 insect food, so that, all in all, the family is a most 

 beneficial one 

 to our husband- 

 men. 



In size the 

 snow-bird is 

 below the me- 

 dium, measur- 

 ing but 6J inch- 

 es in length. In 

 color it is a uni- 

 form ashy or 

 blackish gray 

 above, some- 

 what darker on 

 the head. Be- 

 low, all back of 

 the breast is 

 pure white, as 

 are also the two or three outer feathers of the tail. 

 These feathers are ever a sign of its identity, for as it 

 flies it spreads its tail enough to show their edges. No 

 other bird of similar size possesses them except the 

 grass-finch or vesper sparrow, which is everywhere 

 streaked, both above and below, with reddish-brown 

 and dusky. 



Fig. 83 Snow-bird. (After Coues.) 



