38 BIRD-LAND ECHOES. 



startling emphasis. They seemed anxious to pro- 

 claim their presence. They also seemed out of place, 

 and this means out of tune. I expected to find all 

 the others, and their united twitterings was excellent 

 winter morning music. And a word here concerning 

 the most prominent of all the birds I saw at the 

 time, the big red-brown sparrows that have been 

 duly named fox-colored, but nicknamed by me, 

 years ago, "foxies," and so I shall always call 

 them. They do not venture into town nor fre- 

 quent the suburbs, except very transiently. They 

 come and go in the night, perhaps, for I see them 

 in abundance one day, and then all are gone for 

 the season; at least, this has frequently been my 

 autumn experience. But there are certain old 

 worm-fences with a barrier of weeds and greenbrier 

 and grape-vine in which "foxies" take up their 

 abode, sometimes in autumn and always on the 

 approach of spring, at which later date they often 

 sing superbly. 



I doubt if finer bird-music is ever heard than the 

 occasional outbursts of ecstasy from a hundred or 

 more of these sparrows gathered closely together in 

 the thicket. It is during pleasant February days 

 usually, but sometimes in March, if the season is 

 late, and even in April, that these birds may be 

 heard ; but in the first-named month I have 

 met them in greatest numbers. The first frogs 

 of the season having peeped their shrill call and 

 sounded their rattling cry, we naturally look about 

 us for all sorts of signs of spring, and fancy warmer 



