FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 307 



hear its sweet chant in half-conscious answer to the hooting of the 

 Owl or even the report of a gun. 



It is never seen far from, water, and when it is alarmed it flies 

 downward or along never upward into some low thicket, pumping 

 its tail as it flies. 



Its alarm note is a simple metallic chip, which is very distinctive 

 when once learned. But its merry chant which has won for it the 

 name of "Song Sparrow" is its best-known note. It is a voluble 

 and uninterrupted but short refrain, and is perhaps the sweetest of 

 the familiar voices of the meadow lands. The song that it occasion- 

 ally utters white on the wing is of quite a different character, being 

 more prolonged and varied. 



Though so abundant, it can not be styled a sociable species. Even 

 during the migrations it is never seen in compact flocks like the Red- 

 poll or Snowflake ; at most it will be found forming a part of a long, 

 scattered migrating train that usually includes a number of different 

 but nearly related species. ERNEST E. THOMPSON. 



583. Melospiza lincolni (And.}. LINCOLN'S SPARROW. Ad. 

 Upper parts streaked with black, brownish gray, and grayish brown ; tail- 

 feathers narrow and rather pointed, the outer ones shortest; under parts 

 white, rather finely streaked with black, a broad cream-buff band across the 

 breast, a cream-buff stripe on either side of the throat ; sides tinged with 

 cream-buff. L., 5-75 ; W., 2-50 ; T., 2'40 ; B., -41. 



Remarks. The cream - buff baud on the breast is distinctive of this 

 species. 



Range. Eastern North America ; breeds from northern Illinois and north- 

 ern New York northward; winters from southern Illinois to Mexico; rare 

 east of the Alleghanies. 



Washington, rare T. V., several records, May and Oct. Sing Sing, rare 

 T. V., Sept. 29 to Oct. 16. Cambridge, uncommon T. V., May 15 to May 25 ; 

 Sept. 15 to Oct. 5. 



Nest, generally similar to that of M. fasciata, on the ground. " Eggs, four 

 to five, pale green or butiish, sometimes almost white, thickly spotted and 

 blotched with reddish brown and lilac, -80 x 60" (Chamberlain). 



The most striking characteristic about the Lincoln's Sparrow is its 

 shyness, whether migrating in the lavish abundance of the west, stray- 

 ing casually through the States of the Atlantic seaboard, or settled 

 for the summer in a chosen spot of the northern evergreen woods. 

 Scampering like a mouse along some tumble-down stone wall half 

 buried in poison ivy, sumach, and all the tangled growth that goes 

 to make up an old hedgerow, or peering out from a clump of low- 

 spreading bushes, this little bird may sometimes be detected ; but as 

 he hurries northward late in the migration, when all the woods and 

 fields are ringing with bird music, our attention is seldom directed 



