FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 337 



ings to justify dividing him into about a dozen and a half 

 different forms. We have, as a result, the song sparrow 

 proper, inhabiting the region east of the Mississippi River 

 to the states bordering the Atlantic; other forms are called 

 the Dakota song sparrow, Samuel's song sparrow, moun- 

 tain, San Diego, Alameda, rusty, sooty, desert, etc., etc. 

 The difference, however, is not perceptible except when the 

 exact localitj'^ is taken into consideration, and it requires a 

 microscopic examination to separate them at last. 



There is one species, however, which resembles this form 

 but is entitled to be classed separately. That is the Aleu- 

 tian song sparrow, a larger and darker-plumaged bird 

 found only on the Aleutian Islands, off the Alaskan coast. 

 Owing to the influence of the Japan current the climate on 

 the islands is comparatively mild and the bird is a resident 

 there the year round. Our song sparrows in the Great 

 Lakes region would probably never migrate were it not for 

 the scarcity of food during the winter months, when the 

 ground is apt to be covered with snow and ice. 



The song sparrow is partial to willow growths, and, no 

 matter how early the willow stems brighten and the catkins 

 fill, this species is hopping among their branches just before 

 the sap of the hardy shrub is flowing upward. 



Perhaps he is called song sparrow because he sings from 

 more conspicuous places than many of our other sparrows. 

 Perched on a naked twig or on a fence post, often within a 

 stone's throw of our dwelling, he pours forth a short song 

 which is a liquid chirp and trill. 



The nests are often placed on the ground along little 

 streams or in damp places. I have also found many nests 



