332 SWAMP SPARROW. 



The plant on which you see this bird is called the May-apple. It shoots 

 from the ground in great numbers, and grows very close. The flowers 

 appear at an early season, and are succeeded by a pulpy yellowish fruit, 

 about the size of a pullet's egg, and which, when ripe, is pleasant to the 

 taste, being a little acid arid very cooling. 



Fringilla palustris, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Bii-ds of the United States, p. 110. 

 Swamp Sparrow, Feingilla palustris, Wils. Amer. Omith. voL iii. p. 49, PI. xxii. 

 fig. 1. Male. 



Adult Male. Plate LXIV. 



Bill short, conical, acute, straight ; upper mandible nearly straight in 

 its dorsal line, as is the lower ; gap-line a little decUnate at the base- 

 Nostrils basal, roundish, partly concealed by the feathers. Feet of mo- 

 derate length ; tarsus longer than the middle toe ; toes free, the lateral 

 ones nearly equal ; claws compressed, arched, acute. 



Plumage rather compact above, soft and blended beneath. Wings 

 short, rounded, the third and fourth quills longest. Tail longish, slightly 

 notched, the feathers broad and rather acute. 



Hill dark brown above, paler and tinged with blue beneath. Iris ha- 

 zel. Feet yellowish-brown. Upper part of the head reddish-brown, 

 streaked with black. Loral space, and a broad streak over the eye, yel- 

 lowish-grey ; a dark line behind the eye, and another from the commis- 

 sure of the mandibles. Upper parts generally yellowish-brown, spotted 

 with brownish-black. Primary quill-coverts dusky, as are the inner webs 

 of the secondary coverts and quills, their outer webs being brownish-red_ 

 Tail-feathers dusky, their outer webs brownish-red. Sides of the neck 

 and the breast Ught grey, the rest of the under parts greyish-white. 



Length 5\ inches, extent of wings 7^ ; bill along the ridge -^-^, along 

 the back f ; tarsus \\. 



The May-apple. 



P0DOPHYI.1.UM PELTATUM, Willd. Sp. PL voL ii. p. 1141. Pnrsh, Flor. Amer_ 

 vol. iL p. 366 PoLYANDRiA MoNOGYNiA, Linn. Ranunculace^, Juss. 



Root of many large tubers. Stalks several, each divided at the top, 

 and bearing two peltate leaves, composed of five or seven lobes, with a 

 flower in the fork. Petals nine, white. Fruit when ripe of the size of a 

 plum, yellow. 



