56 THE VESPER SPARROW. 



nothing less than the top rail of the fence will do for that ; a telegraph pole or 

 wire is better, and a lone tree in the pasture is not to be despised. The males 

 gather in spring in such places to engage in decorous concerts of rivalry. The 

 song consists of a variety of simple pleasing notes, each uttered two or three 

 times, and all strung together to the number of four or five. The character- 

 istic introduction is a mellow whistled he-ho a little softer in tone than the 

 succeeding notes. The scolding note, a thrasher-like kissing sound, tsook, will 

 sometimes interrupt his song if a strange listener gets too close. Early morn- 

 ing and late evening are the regular song periods, but the conscientious and 

 indefatigable singer is more apt to interrupt the noon stillness than not. 



Since the Vesper Sparrow is a bird of open country and uplands, it cares 

 little for the vicinity of water, but it loves the dust of country roads as dearly 

 as an old hen, and the daily dust bath is a familiar sight to every traveler. 

 While seeking the food of weed-seeds and insects it runs industriously about 

 upon the ground, skulking rather than flitting for safety. Altho not especially 

 timorous, it appears to take a sort of professional pride in being able to slip 

 about among the weed-stems unseen. 



It is, of course, at nesting time that the sneak-ability of the bird is most 

 severely tested. The nest, a simple affair of coiled grasses, is usually sunk 

 so that the brim comes flush with the ground. For the rest the bird seeks no 

 other protection than that of "luck" and its own ability to elude observation 

 when obliged to quit the nest. The ruse of lameness is frequently employed 

 where danger is imminent. At other times the sitting bird is shrewd enough 

 to rise at a considerable distance. 



Two and sometimes three broods are raised in a season, the first in late 

 April, the second in late June or early July. Upland pastures and weedy fields 

 are the favorite spots for the rearing of young, but plowed ground is sometimes 

 usurped if left too long, and roadsides are second choice. 



There is reason to believe that this species has invaded the state within 

 the historic period, since Audubon expressly states that he did not meet it in 

 Ohio. At any rate it is gradually increasing in numbers and its range 

 extending as the forests dwindle. 



