io6 Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



The mandibles of the song sparrow are of a horn color; 

 crown of head, rufous, divided in the middle by a dark gray 

 streak ; iris, brown ; line over the eye, light gray stripe back 

 of the eye and one on each side of the maxillary stripe, rufous 

 brown ; other upper parts, rusty grayish, streaked with brown 

 and black ; wings without bars ; tail feathers, rufous brown, 

 above with the middle feathers blackish along their shafts; 

 breast with broad wedge-shaped streaks of black and brown, 

 which often unite and form a large dark spot in the center; 

 underneath parts gray, shading to white, heavily streaked with 

 darkest brown; tarsi pale brown, toes darker. 



The range of the song sparrow extends north from the 

 Gulf States through the eastern and middle states to Manitoba 

 and Nova Scotia and west to the base of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. Some of the birds remain in the north all of the winter, 

 but the greater portion of them migrate. They winter from 

 southern Illinois and Indiana to Massachusetts southward to 

 the Gulf States and breed from Virginia northward to the fur 

 countries. They mate about the middle of March and build 

 their nests in April. The nest is built on the ground or near to 

 it in a bush, and is constructed of coarse grass, dead leaves and 

 strips of bark and is lined with finer grass and hair. In it are 

 laid four or five greenish or bluish-white eggs, varying greatly 

 in their markings, which range from brown to reddish, and 

 lavender to purple. Two and sometimes three broods are 

 reared in a year. The female attends to the incubation. She 

 is very careful about concealing her nest, and does not fly 

 directly to and from it but approaches and leaves it by run- 

 ning close to the ground for some distance. During in- 

 cubation the male is very attentive to his spouse. He seems to 

 understand that hers is a life of much drudgery and to be 

 anxious to do all that he can to make it as light and sweet 

 as possible. 



"He sits on a twig and singeth clear 

 A song that overfloweth with cheer; 



'Love! Love! Love! 

 Let us be happy, my love. 



Sing of cheer:' " 



