WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 173 



trary, are erect, dignified looking birds, and raise 

 their dark rufous caps with much more effect than 

 chippy ever does. They differ from him, too, in 

 having the lower part of their backs unstriped, in 

 having rusty washings on the sides of their ashy 

 breasts, and a dusky spot in the centre of the 

 breast similar to the song sparrow's breastpin. 

 Their song, though thinner than that of the song 

 sparrow, is sweet and pleasing. 



LVI. 



WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 



DURING migration the white-crowns generally 

 keep by themselves, though sometimes they may 

 be seen in flocks of white-throated sparrows, so it 

 is well to inspect each bird carefully. The crown 

 will enable you to discriminate between them, for 

 in the white-crown the marking gives more the 

 effect of a soldier's cap, the bands of clear white 

 encircling the back of the head. This adds to 

 the distinguished air of the bird, which, with his 

 clearer grays and browns, his more shapely figure 

 and erect carriage, soon become enough to mark 

 him in themselves. For, as the great-crested fly- 

 catcher overshadows the plebeian phoabe, the 

 white - crowned sparrow is the aristocrat of his 

 family. But besides all this he lacks the yellow 

 seen on the head of the white-throat, and the 



