APRIL BIRDS. II 



us five or six different variations in rapid 

 succession without changing his perch. 

 The little vesper-sparrow (pooccetes gram- 

 ineus\ which will now soon be with us, 

 pours forth a song so similar to some of 

 these variations that it requires consider- 

 able practice and study to distinguish 

 them with certainty. Until the robins are 

 in song, this modest little song-sparrow, 

 in his plain brown suit, furnishes nine- 

 tenths of our bird music. Proceeding up 

 Highland Street I am greeted with its song 

 from all parts of Elm Park. This bird 

 has been with us now for three or four 

 weeks, and, like the blue-bird, has been 

 filling the bleak, barren fields with its 

 music since its first appearance. 



All the way up the street the much- 

 abused English sparrows kept up a con- 

 stant chatter to the south towards the 

 city, while to the north, especially among 

 the evergreens opposite the Merrifield 

 estate, the slate-colored snow-birds (junco 

 hyentalis) were everywhere to. be seen. 

 These snow-birds, with their ashy-black 



