54 THE VESPER SPARROW. 



perhaps, the sweetest notes that one hears during the entire springtime of these 

 regions. It is an exquisite jingling melody, having much less power than that 

 of the Bobolink, but with the same general character, and, though shorter, 

 it has even more melody than the song of that well-known bird.^ The nests are 

 placed on the drier portions of the flats ; a hummock or tuft of grass is chosen, 

 or perhaps a projecting bunch, of dwarf willow stems, and, as one comes 

 directly upon it, the female usually flutters off under one's feet." 



No. 35. 

 VESPER SPARROW. 



A. O. U. No. 540. Pooecetes gramineus (Gmel.). 



Synonyms. — Grass Finch ; Bay-winged Bunting. 



Description. — Adults: General tone of upper parts slaty or grayish brown 

 on the edges of the feathers, modified by the dusky centers, and warmed by deli- 

 cate traces of rufous; bend of wing bay, concealing dusky centers; wings and 

 tail fuscous with pale tawny or whitish edging, — outer tail-feathers principally 

 or entirely white, the next two pairs white, or not, in varying amount; below 

 sordid white, sharply streaked on breast, ilanks, and sides with dusky brown; 

 the chin and throat with small arrow marks of the same color and bounded by 

 chains of streaks; auriculars clear hair-brown, with buffy or lighter center; 

 usually a buffy suffusion on streaked area of breast and sides. Length 5.75- 

 6.25 (146.1-158.8) ; wing 3.16 (80.3) ; tail 2.35 (59.7) ; bill .42 (10.7) ;— av. of 

 five Columbus specimens. 



Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size; general streaked appearance; dusky- 

 streaked breast on sordid ground (in the Song Sparrow, with which alone it could 

 be confused in this particular, the streaking is more rufous and the ground color 

 clearer white) ; white lateral tail-feathers conspicuous in flight. 



Nest, on ground, neatly lined with grasses, rootlets and horse-hair. Bggs, 

 4 or 5, pinkish-, grayish-, or bluish-white, speckled, spotted and occasionally 

 scrawled with reddish brown. Av. size, .82 x .60 (20.8 x 15.2). 



General Range. — Eastern North America to the Plains, from Nova Scotia 

 and Ontario southward ; breeds from Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri northward. 



Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident; of general occurrence. 



A sober garb cannot conceal the quality of the wearer, even tho Quaker 

 gray be made to cover alike saint and sinner. Plainness of dress, therefore, 

 is a fault to be readily forgiven, even in a bird, if it be accompanied by a voice 

 of sweet sincerity and a manner of self-forgetfulness. In a family where a 

 modest appearance is no reproach, but a warrant to health and long life, the 

 Vesper Sparrow is pre-eminent for modesty. You are not aware of his 



