24 



Bird- Lore 



Song. — While neither our Crows nor Jays may be said to sing, in the 

 commonly accepted sense of the word, both have marked vocal ability 

 and an extended vocabulary of call -notes which evidently are possessed 

 of a definite significance. 



What Bird is This ? 



Field Description. — Length, 5.00 in. Crown black, with a pale central stripe; back rufous-brown, the 

 feathers with small black streaks and ashy margins; bend of the wing pale yellow; under parts white, more 

 or less washed with buff, breast and sides streaked with black; tail feathers narrow and pointed. 



Note. — Each number of Bird-Lore will contain a photograph, from specimens in 

 the American Museum of Natural History, of some comparatively little-known bird, or 

 bird in obscure plumage, the name of which will be withheld until the succeeding 

 number of the magazine, it being believed that this method of arousing the student's 

 curiosity will result in impressing the bird's characters on his mind far more strongly 

 than if its name were given with the picture. 



The species figured in December is the Swamp Sparrow in winter plumage. 



The Christmas Bird Census 



The unpleasant weather so prevalent on Christmas day doubtless prevented many 

 observers from taking the field, and explains the number of notes made on December 26. 

 Compared with the results of the census made last year the present record also shows a 

 marked absence of such northern birds as Pine Grosbeaks, Crossbills, and Redpolls. 

 Northern Shrikes are apparently less common this year, and several species, notably the 

 Robin, appear to be wintering further north than usual. 



