194 



The So)ig Sparj'ow. 



Avhich lies behind the feathers." So says 

 the Enghsh ornithologist Seebohni, in his 

 History of British liirds, and I am very sure 

 that there is no lack of bird lovers to re-echo 

 the sentiment. The first two questions are 

 of very great importance, and of such a 

 nature that they insist on first notice, but 

 having settled them as we now have, suf- 

 ficiently for the purposes of the ordinary 

 observer of Eastern America, we are 

 brought face to face with what is, after all, 

 of chief interest, the great question of the 

 " little mind." 



The almost absolute ignorance that exists 

 with regard to the life history of our birds 

 is only beginning to be appreciated. We 

 have, in fact, as a result of great labors 

 during the last few years, only just suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining enough light to make 

 the darkness visible. To show our utter 

 nescience with regard to even the best 

 known species, I would take for example 

 the bird of all others we are supposed to be 

 perfectly familiar with, the common barn 

 fowl. How many of us can prove or dis- 

 prove the simplest statements that can be 

 made concerning it ? How many can decide 

 on the theory that a hen beginning to la)% 

 lays on the first day early in the morning, 

 next day an hour later, and so on until after- 

 noon is reached, then a day is missed, and 

 on the next day the bird begins again early 

 in the morning ? How many of us can con- 

 tradict the statement that the hen is capable 

 of real and faithful attachment to one par- 

 ticular male, even though several be in the 

 yard ? Which of us can say when and why 

 the hen turns her eggs, or whether she 

 knowingly turns them at all? It would be 

 easy to go on exposing our ignorance, but 

 sufficient has been said for my purpose, and 

 I would now follow with the remark, if we 

 know .so little of our familiar domestic 

 fowls, how insignificant must be our know- 

 ledge of the wild 1:)irds. I am so satisfied 

 that a harvest of knowledge and pleasure 

 awaits those who will venture into this 



almost virgin field, that I have determined 

 to spend one season at least in investigating 

 the life history of a single species, and to 

 the end that I may approach the subject 

 systematically, I have tabulated the lines 

 of investigation under seventeen heads 

 These heads, be it noticed, are naturally 

 limited by the knowledge and theories of 

 the writer, but I believe that in working 

 them out one will most assuredly stumble 

 on clues which, properly followed, will lead 

 to light most unexpected, and to ideas of 

 startling newness that have not even been 

 guessed at by the preliminary schedule, for 

 such has ever been the experience of those 

 who have blindly but earnestly groped after 

 the truth. 



For numerous reasons, more or less 

 evident, I have selected the song sparrow 

 [Mclospiza fasciata) as the species for study, 

 and propose collecting all possible evidence 

 on the following items: 



1 . Spring Migration. — Give earliest appear- 



ance, etc.; state whether in flocks or 

 singly; males in advance or both sexes 

 together; by day or by night; crossing 

 the lake or skirting its shores; flying 

 high or low; recording in full the 

 weather at the time of observation, also 

 date, locality, etc. Does it hide or re- 

 turn southward during the late spring 

 .storms? Do individuals that come 

 early differ from those that come late? 

 If so, are both found breeding here? 



2. Habitat. — Is it found in dry uplands, 



dense forests or marshes, or does it 

 manifest a preference for the vicinity of 

 water, or especially of running water? 

 Can any reason be assigned for its 

 choice of locality? 



3. Voice of the Male. — Song and the varia- 



tions of the same; height from ground 

 when singing; time of day; alarm notes, 

 song periods, song flight, song by 

 night; influence of the weather. 



4. ]''oice of the Female. — Song, if any, and 



full ])articulars as above. 



