THE SWAMP SPARROW. 



{Melospiza georgiana.) 



Though the range of the Swamp 

 Sparrow covers the whole of the north- 

 ern portion of North America, it nests 

 only in the Northern United States and 

 British America. There this timid Spar- 

 row seeks a site for his home in the 

 "deep recesses of marshy thickets, envi- 

 roned with a canopy of tangled foliage, 

 whose treacherous quagmire abounds in 

 a luxurious growth of wild grasses." 

 The nest is placed on the ground and us- 

 ually in low places, where it is sheltered 

 by a tussock of grass. In its construc- 

 tion, grasses, weed stems, leaves and 

 frequently bark fibers, are woven togeth- 

 er, and it is lined with finer materials 

 of the same kind, often with the addition 

 of some animal hair or vegetable down. 



Because of its retiring habits during 

 the breeding season, its nest, as well as 

 the bird itself, are not easily found. Ex- 

 cept in the fall, when it is prone to gath- 

 er in flocks, it is usually seen alone while 

 wending its way through the rank herb- 

 age of the swamp. Regarding its habits 

 while wintering in the South, Mr. Chap- 

 man says the "Swamp Sparrows fre- 

 quently belie their name, and I have of- 

 ten found numbers of them in dry old 

 fields of broom sedge." Fields with scat- 

 tered patches of weeds are also favorite 

 resorts. But as the breeding season ap- 

 proaches, and the warmer atmosphere 

 of the coming spring draws the birds 

 northward, the habit of the Swamp Spar- 

 row changes and the swamp becomes its 

 home. Here it raises its young, finds its 

 food, and sings its simple, sweet song, 

 every note of which indicates a happy 

 disposition. Singing is a part of its na- 

 ture, and even "a suggestion of the bird's 

 watery home shows itself in the liquid 

 quality of its simple, sweet note, stronger 

 and sweeter than the chippy's, and re- 

 peated many times almost like a trill that 

 seems to trickle from the marsh in a lit- 



tle rivulet of song." Well do the words 

 of the poet apply to this dainty little bird, 

 which has not inaptly been called the 

 Swamp Song Sparrow : 



And all ye little sparrow birds, 

 Put on your daintiest frills; 



And fill your bosoms full of notes, 

 Of quavers, and of trills. 



Not infrequently, an observer may be 

 regaled with the song of this Sparrow as it 

 flies up from its reedy home and perches 

 on some low branch, where, like its 

 sweet voiced relative, the song sparrow, 

 it "expands its tail feathers and gives 

 forth a very sprightly trill, that echoes 

 through the swampy thicket with an 

 effect which, once noticed and identified 

 with the performer, is not likely to be 

 ever mistaken." Though to many listen- 

 ers, its song, though loud, sweet and 

 clear, is plaintive ; to others it is spright- 

 ly rather than pathetic, and Dr. Brewer 

 hears in the song "a peculiar ventrilo- 

 quistic effect, as if the performer were at 

 a much greater distance than he really 

 is." 



The Swamp Sparrow is the handsom- 

 est of the smaller sparrows and its habits 

 are quite like those of the better known 

 song sparrow — that delightful bird of 

 the parks and door yards. From the 

 song sparrow, the bird of our illustration 

 may be easily distinguished by the even 

 color of the plumage of the breast and 

 the underside of the body, which is en- 

 tirely free from dark colored streaks 

 and a dark-brown spot in the middle of 

 the breast. 



As the Swamp Sparrow seldom leaves 

 its home in the marsh to seek food on 

 cultivated grounds, it is, perhaps, of 

 less economic value than many other 

 sparrows. Dr. Judd has suggested that 

 birds having the habits of the Swamp 

 Sparrow, if they figure at all in the ru- 

 ral economy, act simply as a check on 



