April 
its plumage black, but apparently not iridescent, 
smaller than the crow-blackbird, and yet not 
likely to be the rusty grackle, whose plumage 
at this season would hardly be a uniform black. 
_ The tone was more musical than the grackle’s, 
and yet had asuggestion of it. The probability 
seems to be that it was one of the imported 
starlings that have been turned loose, and had 
perhaps lost track of its fellows. I almost wish 
I had not seen it, if it is not to show itself 
again ; for it is a most exasperating pleasure to 
find an unidentifiable specimen. 
I note the arrival of that humblest and most 
familiar of all sparrows,—the ubiquitous ‘‘ chip- 
per.’’ It certainly cannot be called a singer, 
and its familiar note is commonly too strident 
to be very musical; but it isa harmless drop of 
sound, even among the vocalists of June, and 
pleasantly fills aniche in the empty spaces of 
July and August. In appearance it is always 
refreshingly neat, not to say spruce, and unpre- 
tentious; and by being neither over-timid nor 
bold, it always holds itself at an interesting dis- 
tance. This is said to be the only one of the 
sparrows that as a rule builds its nest in trees, 
all the other species (except, perhaps, the tree 
sparrow) on the ground or in bushes. From 
105 
