330 BIRDS — FRIiSTGILLID^. 



Melospiza paluatris, Whkaton, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 366; Reprint, 1861, 8; Food of 

 Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Reprint, 1875, 6. — Langdon, Cat. Bird8 

 ot Cin., 1877, 8; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 176; Reprint, 10. 



Fringilla palustris, Wilson, A!u. Orn., iii, 1811, 49. 

 Melospiza palustris, Baird, Birds N. Am., 1858, 483. 



Crown bright bay, or chestnut, blaclieuiag on I lie forehead, often with an obscnre 

 median asby line, and usually streaked with black; cervix, sides of head and neck, 

 and the breast, strongly ashy, with vaguB dark auricular and maxillary markings, 

 the latter bounding the wUir.ish chin, the ashy of the breast obsoletely stieaky ; belly 

 whitish; sides, flanks, and crissum strongly shaded wirh brown, and faintly streaked ; 

 back and rump brown, rather darker than the sides, bnldly streaked with black and 

 pale blown or grayish. Wings so sirorgly edged with bright bay as to appear almost 

 uniformly of this color when viewed closed, bar, inner secondaries showing black with 

 whitish edging; tail likewise strongly edged with b.iy, and usually showing black shaft 

 lines. No yellowish anywhere; no tail feathers white; farther distinguished fiom its 

 allies by the emphasis of the black, bay, and ash. Length, S-J-b; wing aad tail 2^-2^. 



Habitat, Eastern and part of Middle Province of North America; north to Newfound- 

 land and Labrador; west to Ui;ah ; south to Texas, 



Common spring and fall migrant in April and May, October and No- 

 vember. Although it is very probably a summer resident in Northern 

 Ohio, neither Dr. Kirtland or Mr. Read so state. Mr. Langdon gives it 

 as a common migrant. In the vicinity of Columbus, though common, 

 it is very retiring in its habits, especially in spring, frequenting swamp 

 woodlands and the weedy banks of small brooks. la the fall it appears 

 in the high grass of swamps and low borders of rivers, in companies of 

 considerable numbers. It is not, however, entirely confined to wet 

 places, for I have found them in upland woods quite distant from water. 

 While with us it is very retiring and silent. Occasionally a single chip 

 is heard. At its b eeding grounds it is said to sing a pleasing and some- 

 what varied song. Its neat and trim form, tasteful colors, happily con- 

 trasting bright brown with black and ash, render it one of the handsomest 

 of the smaller Sparrows. 



The nest of the Swamp Sparrow is placed upon the ground, under a 

 tussock of rank grass, in a low, moist place. The eggs are grayish- or 

 bluish-white, so thickly speckled all over with dififerent shades of brown 

 as sometimes to conceal the ground color. 



Melospiza MELoniA (Wils.) Bd. 



Song Sparrow. 



Fringilla melodia, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 18.58, 164. 



Fringilla fasciata, Read, Proc. Phila. Acad. Nat. Soi., vi, 1853, 395. 



Melospiza melodia, Whraton, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 366; Reprint, 1861, 8; in Cones' 

 Birds of N. W., 1874, 233: Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Re- 

 print, 1875, 6. — Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 8; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soo. 

 Nat. Hist., 1, 1879, 176 ; Reprint, 10. 



