THE INSPIRING SPARROWS. 



45 



often does it happen that they sing when other birds 

 are silent, that they become by reason of this a great 

 addition to our woods and by-ways in winter. It 

 would be indeed a depressing change from the 

 tuneful summer if we had no midwinter minstrelsy, 

 and this the 

 Peabody - birds 

 abundantly pro- 

 vide. 



I have 

 said that 

 I have 

 Peabody - birds 

 always near by, 

 but the winter 

 of 1894-95 was 

 an exception. 

 They came, but 

 did not stay, 

 and made but 

 a brief sojourn 

 on their north- 

 ward journey in 

 April. I can 

 offer no expla- 

 nation of this. 

 My eyes could detect no change in the conditions 

 of their old-time haunts, and but a few miles away 

 they were as common as usual. At this time a year 

 later they are abundant, and celebrated New Year's, 

 in spite of the cold, by singing with great ardor, and 



Peabody-bird. 



