BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 407 
until it disappeared from my unaided vision, when I brought 
the glass to my eye and followed him still, all the while sing- 
ing, singing, singing as he swung right and left, vaulting into 
‘the very blue of the heavens, when suddenly he closed his 
wings and his song, and head downward came down like an 
arrow, opening his closed wings only when within a yard of 
the ground, and within the same distance of the very spot 
from which he ascended. My desire to make sure of his 
identity had brought my eye to the barrel of my ready gun, 
when the thought of hearing the song again, and of securing 
the nest deterred me. As much time as I could possibly spare 
on that still, beautiful morning having gone, I drove away 
with a delightful memory and a good resolution to see the bird 
again. 
That nest, as afterward proved, was near enough to my 
carriage to have tossed a marble into it, or more probably 
upon the back of the faithful, devoted female occupying it. 
The ground had been excavated to the depth of two inches and 
the cavity lined with a little fine grass, and contained four 
dull-white, finely speckled eggs which were quite pointed at 
one end. I cruelly purposed to appropriate both of the 
parents of the two remaining eggs (after I had taken two) 
when the young should be old enough to fly, but I only 
obtained the male. 
I have seen no more of this species in this section where I 
live, but met with them once or twice in Grant county. 
A description of its song would be difficult, but it consisted 
of a succession of notes, beginning at a high pitch and warbled 
with a deflected ‘‘diminuendo,” very pleasingly melodious 
indeed. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Above wood-brown, all the feathers edged with paler espec 
ially on the neck, where there is a brownish-yellow tinge; 
under parts dull white, with a collar of sharply defined narrow 
brown streaks across the forepart and along the sides of the 
breast; lores, and a superciliary line, whitish; tail feathers, 
except the middle ones, dark brown; outer one white, second 
white with the inner margin brown; outer primary edged with 
white, and two dull whitish bands across the wings; bill and 
feet yellow, the former brown above. 
Length, 6; wing, 3.85; tail. 2.50. 
Habitat, interior plains of North America. 
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