Brown, Olive or Grayish Brown, and Brown and Gray Sparrowy Birds 



The savanna, the swamp, the sharp-tailed, and the song spar- 

 rows may all sometimes be found in the haunts of the seaside 

 sparrow, but you may be certain of finding the latter nowhere else 

 than in the salt marshes within sight or sound of the sea. It is a 

 dingy little bird, with the least definite coloring of all the spar- 

 rows that have maritime inclinations, with no rufous tint in its 

 feathers, and less distinct streakings on the breast than any of 

 them. It has no black markings on the back. 



Good-sized flocks of seaside sparrows live together in the 

 marshes; but they spend so much of their time on the ground, 

 running about among the reeds and grasses whose seeds and 

 insect parasites they feed upon, that not until .>ome unusual dis- 

 turbanre in the quiet place flushes them does the intruder sus- 

 pect their presence, Hunters after beach-birds, longshoremen, 

 seaside cottagers, and whoever follows the windings of a creek 

 through the salt meadows to catch crabs and eels in midsummer, 

 are well acquainted with the "meadow chippies," as the fisher- 

 men call them. They keep up a good deal of chirping, sparrow- 

 fashion, and have four or five notes resembling a song that is 

 usually delivered from a tall reed stalk, where the bird sways and 

 balances until his husky performance has ended, when down he 

 dro >s upon the ground out of sight. Sometimes, too, these 

 notcr, are uttered while the bird flutters in the air above the tops 

 of the sedges. 



Sharp-tailed Sparrow 



(Ammodramus caudacutus) Finch family 



Length— ^.2^ to 5.85 inches. A trifle smaller than the English 

 sparrov/. 



Male and Fema/e— Upper parts brownish or grayish olive, the 

 back with black streaks, and gray edges to some feathers. 

 A gray line through centre of crown, which has maroon 

 stripes; gray ears enclosed by buff lines, one of which passes 

 through the eye and one on side of throat; brownish orange, 

 or buff, on sides of head. Bend of the wing yellow. Breast 

 and sides pale buff, distinctly streaked with black. Under- 

 neath whitish. Each narrow quill of tail is sharply pointed, 

 the outer ones shortest. 



J?a«^^— Atlantic coast. Winters south of Virginia. 



Migrations — April. November. Summer resident. 



157 



