1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



scribed. Richardson believed many of those in- 

 habiting America spend the winter along the 

 shores of Lake Huron and Superior. "They 

 breed," he says, "in the moist meadows on the 

 shores of the Arctic Sea." The nest is placed on 

 a hillock of moss and stones, and composed of dry 

 grass interwoven to a considerable thickness, and 

 lined with deer's hair. The eggs, generally seven 

 in number, are pale ochre yellow, spotted with 

 brown. 



Head, throat and breast, black ; lower parts, 

 "white ; a collar erf chestnut back of the neck ; 

 rest of the plumage, above, yellowish white, 

 streaked with dark brown. In winter, the colors 

 are much less pure. Size a little less than that of 

 the Snow Bunting, 



There are four other species of Snow Bunting, 

 which have more western habitats, embraced in 

 the fauna of the United States. 



The next sub-family of Baird, Spizellance, in- 

 cludes the greater part of our common Sparrows. 



The Savannau Sparrow, {Passercvlus savan- 

 na, Bonaparte,) is a toleraldy common species over 

 a large part of eastern North America. It arrives 

 here early in spring, and remains till late in Oc- 

 tober, many passing the winter in some of the 

 Middle States. It is partial to the vicinity of the 

 sea-coast, especially in winter, but in summer is 

 sparingly distributed over the interior, many re- 

 tiring as far north as Labrador, where Audubon 

 found them in abundance." In the spring and 

 fall I have taken them in the western parts of the 

 State of Massachusetts, in dry, elevated situations, 

 but have found them most abundant in the 

 marshes along the sea-coast, in the latter season, 

 where they run rapidly along the ground, hiding 

 among the grass, and when flushed will 'fly but a 

 short distance, seeking safetj' by concealment. Its 

 song is low and short, but agreeable, though no- 

 wise noteworthy. Wilson first introduced this 

 species to the notice of the public, but Audubon 

 has given us a more complete account of its histo- 

 ry. He says its nest, which is formed of dry 

 grasses, is placed on the ground, at the foot of a 

 bush or rank tuft of grass ; that the eggs are four 

 to six in number, of a pale bluish color, slightly 

 mottled with purplish brown. 



Length five and a half inches ; extent, eight 

 and a half. Upper parts streaked with blackish- 

 brown, rufous, and gray; beneath white, breast 

 and sides spotted and streaked with brown ; strips 

 over the eye, and shoulder of the wing, pale yel- 

 low. 



The Bay-wixged Sparrow' or Grass Finch, 

 {Pocecetes gramineus, Baird,) is a verj' common 

 summer inhabitant of our dry fields and pastures, 

 arriving from the Southern States, where it spends 

 the winter, in April, and remains with us till late 

 in October. It has an agreeable song, somewhat 

 similar to that of the Song Sparrow, but less 

 clear, loud and sweet, of which it is not at all 

 sparing during the months of May and J une. Fre- 

 quenting plowed and cultivated fields, it is a com- 

 mon and well-known associate of the farmer 

 throughout his summer toils, breeding on the 

 ground in the pastures, mowing-lands and corn- 

 fields, unmolested, except by skunks and preda- 

 cious birds, which are a great check to its in- 

 crease. It is eminently worthy of being esteemed 

 a friend, and protected as such, being in no way 

 prejudicial to the interests of the farmer, but feed- 



ing itself and young through the summer months 

 on the cut-worm and other destructive insects, sub- 

 sisting at other times on seeds. It raises two or 

 more broods in a season, laying four or five flesh- 

 colored eggs, which are thickly marked with 

 blotches of several shades of brown. 



This species, commonly known as the Orass 

 Bird or Ground Bird by fiirmers, is six and a 

 quarter inches in length, and about ten in alar ex- 

 tent. Above, light yellowish-brown, each feather 

 centred with darker; beneath, yellowish-white, 

 breast and sides streaked with brown ; lesser wing 

 covert a light chestnut brown ; outer tail feathers 

 white. Its habitat extends from the Atlantic to 

 the Pacific, and far to the northward. 



The Yellow-avixged Sparrow, (Cotumiculus 

 passerinus, Bonaparte,) is an interesting and un- 

 obtrusive little species, and like the one last de- 

 scribed, is a common inhabitant of our dry fields 

 and pastures, and though perhaps less known, is 

 hardly less abundant. It seems somewhat pecu- 

 liar and original in its habits, and I have found it 

 exceedingly interesting. It arrives here about the 

 second week of May, from the far South, and it 

 seems a little remarkable that at the time Audu- 

 bon wrote its history, in 1835, it had never been 

 seen during its passage through the Southern 

 States, if it passes there, as it seems it must. In 

 the Middle and Eastern States it is generally not 

 uncommon. Its flight is low, short and tremulous, 

 performed by short, rapid strokes of the ■wings. 

 Its song, which is low, and almost like the feeble 

 chirping of an insect, is repeatedly uttered from a 

 fence rail, dead weed, stone, or hummock of earth, 

 and resembles the syllables ch' chee'e'e'e'e'^e'e, 

 prolonged for several seconds. What it lacks in 

 melody, it strives to make up in frequency and 

 enei'gy of repetition, and is not at all sparing of 

 its little ditty from the time it arrives in May till 

 July, saluting every passer through the fields as 

 soon as he appears and while he continues in 

 sight, drooping the wings and tail, and erecting 

 the feathers of the back, exerting apparently every 

 power for musical efiect. Particularly is this its 

 habit while the female is sitting. 



Its nest is composed of dry grasses, and con- 

 cealed on the ground under a tuft of grass or briar 

 bush ; the eggs, four or five or number, are near- 

 ly white, sprinkled with ferruginous specks. Two 

 broods are probably raised in a season, as I have 

 found the young in June and eggs freshly laid in 

 August. The nest is not so often found as that of 

 some other Sparrows, though the bii'd itself be 

 equally numerous. 



Length, five inches ; extent, eight and a quar- 

 ter. Above, brownish, each feather margined with 

 ash ; beneath yellowish white ; band of the wing 

 yellow, the lesser coverts yellow olive. 



Cambridge, Mass., 1862. j. a. a. 



Morxixg Air, — It is a common and favorite 

 notion with many that the morning air is the pur- 

 est, most bracing ; but the very opposite is the 

 fact. The air is more full of dampness, fog, 

 miasm, at about sunrise, which the sun, however, 

 soon dissipates. Before engaging in anything 

 like exercise or work in the early morning out-of- 

 dooi-8, it is conducive to health to take a warm 

 cup of coffee, if breakfast is not to be had. 



