BIRDS OF KANSAS. 459 



SP. CHAR. With head more or less conspicuously marked, but without black 

 on chin or throat; young, streaked beneath. Wing with two distinct white 

 bauds; lower mandible yellow; adult with dusky spot in center of chest. Adult: 

 Top of head and streak behind eye deep rufous; rest of head and neck plain 

 ashy, the hindneck tinged with brown; back mixed with rufous and light tawny 

 or dull buft'y, streaked with black; lower parts pale ashy anteriorly and later- 

 ally, the sides and flanks tinged with buffy (strongly so in winter). Young: 

 Top of head dull brownish, streaked with dusky; superciliary stripe and sides 

 of head and neck dull whitish, finely streaked with darker; chest pale dull 

 buffy, tinged laterally with rusty, and distinctly streaked dusky. Plumage 

 darker throughout, the ground color of back largely rusty or rufous, and the 

 black streaks broader; rufous of crown darker and never with more than a slight 

 indication of median ashy stripe; outer webs of greater wing coverts and tertials 

 bright rufous or nasty; whitish or light ashy edgings to tail feathers narrower, 

 wings and tail shorter, bill rather stouter. (Ridgway.) 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 6.30 9.20 3.00 2.90 .78 .35 



Female... 6.00 8.60 2.75 2.70 .78 .35 



Iris brown; bill upper and tip of lower blackish, rest yellow; 

 legs brown; feet a shade darker; claws blackish. 



This hardy Sparrow frequents the hedges, edges of woods and 

 rank, weedy growths. Social, gregarious birds, that often assem- 

 ble together in large flocks. From the name they bear, the 

 reader would naturally be led to think they were at least more 

 arboreal than terrestial, but such is not the case; the name is 

 given them on account of their habit of flying into trees the 

 moment they are disturbed a habit of many of the family. 

 They search upon the ground almost wholly for their food, 

 which consists chiefly of fallen seeds. When the ground is 

 mostly covered with snow, they are often forced by hunger to 

 fly quite a distance into the prairies or open lands to bare spots 

 of ground, and in so doing, many are caught by the Pigeon. 

 Sparrow or Sharp-shinned Hawks, before they can reach their 

 cover, for these Hawks know their haunts well, and are ever 

 upon the watch, ready to pounce upon, or give chase to, the 

 venturesome birds. While feeding, the birds keep up a low, 

 musical twitter. The males begin to sing quite early in the 

 spring a rather low, but exceedingly rich and sweet-toned 

 song. 



Their nests are placed upon the ground and in low bushes. 



