The Song Sparrow 107 



They have no quarrels or disagreements, nor do they care 

 to be divorced. They, too, are a world to themselves and in 

 that world peace, joy and love dwell. He may be known by 

 his nervous flight, in which his long tail is constantly jerked 

 and by his shyness, which prompts him on the least alarm 

 to retreat into cover. 



As I have elsewhere said, Big Branch meandered its 

 way through my father's farm. Its banks were covered with 

 low-growing willows, which were the homes of the cecropia 

 moth, the great golden striped spider and the song sparrow. 

 I was not then acquainted with the cecropia moth, but 

 prompted by curiosity and a desire to learn concerning it, 

 often gathered the cocoons and examined them and now after 

 more than three score years have passed, I do the same thing, 

 for the life history of this moth is most interesting and well 

 worthy of investigation. Often did I watch the spiders weav- 

 ing their wonderful webs in which to catch their quarry ; and 

 this is a matter of wonder to me yet. Many an evening have 

 I seen the smaller kinds weaving their webs in the honey- 

 suckle about the veranda at Somerleaze. What is more won- 

 derful than the skill of this tiny workman? But that which 

 added the most joy and peace to the country lad's life was the 

 joyous music of the song sparrows in the willows. Many 

 times have I stopped at the end of the furrows to listen to 



"That song of perfect trust, of perfect cheer, 

 Courageous, constant, free of doubt or fear." 



Excepting the cardinal, the song sparrow is our earliest, 

 latest and most persistent singer. The song is varied and 

 there is a difference in the quality and volume of the voices 

 of different individuals. In Wood Notes Wild, Mr. Cheney 

 says, "I have heard more than twenty songs of this sparrow, 

 and have heard him in many other forms." One of the songs 

 of one on our lawn at Somerleaze seems to be "ze-ze-ze-ze-, 

 sweet, sweet." Others are quite good imitators of the im- 

 ported canary and are delightfully sweet to the ear. I shall 

 never forget a tramp made out into the country with a young 

 friend of mine the last week in February. As we were wend- 

 ing our way homeward just before sunset, and it was the most 



