160 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



Sparrow, Savanna. Length, five and two-thirds 

 inches; bill, two-fifths of an inch, dark above, pale 

 below; very much like the Song Sparrow in general color- 

 ation, but has a yellow spot before the eye and on the 

 bend of the wing; the black streaking above is more pro- 

 nounced and the head is streaked with buff instead of 

 chestnut; in the edging of the tail the reddish brown is 

 also replaced by buff; feet, light flesh color. 



The birds nest on the ground, the nest being built of 

 grass lined with finer grasses or hair. The eggs are four 

 or five in number, bluish white with brown spots and 

 sometimes with a brown tint all over, and three-fourths 

 by three-fifths of an inch in size. 



The birds breed in the northern Middle States and 

 northward and spend the winter in southern New Jersey 

 and southward. In New Jersey they are numerous dur- 

 ing migrations, especially along the coast and rivers, be- 

 tween March 20 and May 15, and again between Septem- 

 ber 1 and October 20; many winter in the southern part 

 of the state and some breed in the northern part. 



Their song is a weak, musical trill, generally heard 

 in the evening, described by Samuels as chewee chewitt- 

 chewitt-chewitt-chewe-et-chewee. 



Their food consists of seeds and the larvae of insects. 



Sparrow^ Sharp-tailed. Length, five and three - 

 fifths inches; bill, half an inch, extremely sharp; throat, 

 white, an orange line from over the eye down the side of 

 the throat, meeting another from the base of the bill; 

 crown, brown, with a gray line through the centre; back, 

 olive brown, with buff and black streaks; breast, white, 

 with buff tinge and streaked with black; belly, white; 

 sides, light buff, streaked with black; tail, each feather 

 sharply pointed and the outer ones much shorter than 

 those in the middle, gray and olive; wing, brown, yellow 

 at the bend; feet, clay color. Young birds quite buff be- 

 low and black and buff above. 



