310 NOTES ON THE 
Its plaintive song seems simple and easily described, yet in 
reality it is a very difficult task. In ‘‘Our Birds and their 
Haunts,” by the Rev. J. H. Langille of Buffalo, N. Y., it is said 
‘the melody of the bay-wing, if not so sprightly and varied, — 
still bears quite a resemblance to that of the song sparrow, 
and is expressive of a tender pathos, which may even give it 
the preference. It is one of the few bird-songs which might be 
written upon a musical staff. Beginning with a few soft syl- 
lables on the fifth note of the musical scale, it strikes several 
loud, and prolonged notes on the eighth above, and ends in a 
soft warble which seems to die out for want of breath, and may 
run a little down the scale. Though the song is not brilliant, 
and rather suggestive of humble scenes and thoughts, ‘‘the 
grass, the stones, the stubble, the furrows, the quiet herds, and 
the warm twilight among the hills,” it is nevertheless a fine 
pastoral, full of the sweet content which dwells in the bosom 
of nature. It is heard to the best advantage when the rosy 
hues of sundown are tinting the road, the rocks, and all the 
higher lights of the evening landseape. Then an innumerable 
company of these ‘‘poets of the plain, unadorned pastures,” 
some perched on the fences, some on weeds and thistles, but 
many more hid in the grass and stubble, swell into their finest 
chorus, while most other birds are gradually subsiding into 
silence. Ithas been well said that the farmer following his team 
from the field at dusk, catches the Bay-wing’s sweetest strain, 
and that a very proper name for it would be the Vesper Spar 
row.” 
I find the Bay-winged Buntings quite uniformly represented 
in all parts of the State reasonably adapted to them. One 
correspondent who has been much interested in the local 
sparrows thinks the variation in the numbers of them in differ- 
ent years exceeds that of any other species except the Black- 
throated Bunting, (A. bilineata), sometimes there seeming to 
be almost an entire absence of them. My own observation 
measurably corroborates his, yet they have usually been well 
represented in the region where I reside. I can say, however, 
that few species have a greater range of measurements. Those 
are as follows in 33 cases: Length, 4.60 to 7.20; wing, 2.80 to 
3.10. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Tail feathers rather acute; above light yellowish brown, the 
feathers everywhere streaked abruptly with dark brown, even 
on the sides of the neck which are paler; beneath yellowish 
white; on the breast and sides of neck and body, streaked with 
