FINCHES. 217 



ing the season of love, dart from a thicket, mount in the air, 

 and take quite a rapid, circuitous flight, continually uttering 

 a fine, steady trill, until, having returned to the thicket, he 

 dived into it, ejaculating a few broken musical notes, after 

 which all was still. Song with birds is often a passion, or 

 the effect of one ; and the Chaffinches in France are said, 

 when caged, and placed as rivals near one another, to sing 

 until one finally succumbs, often falling dead on the floor of 

 his cage ! 



XIV. SPIZBLLA. 



A. sociAUS. Chipping Sparrow. "Chipper." Etc. 

 " Hairhird." A very common summer resident in Massa- 

 chusetts, and almost throughout the United States.* 



a. About 5^ inches long. Crown, chestnut ; forehead, 

 black (former in 5 often black-streaked). Interscapulars, 

 reddish brown, edged with paler and black-streaked. Rump, 

 ashy (slightly streaked ?). Tail, forked, and dusky with pale 

 edgings. Superciliary line, light ; eye-stripe, dark. Under 

 parts, white ; lower throat and breast, very light warm gray 

 (=:"pale ash"). Two narrow white bars on the wings, 

 which otherwise accord with the back and tail. (Bill, black, 

 occasionally paler; never reddish as in pusilla.) 



h. The nest is almost invariably composed of fine rootlets 

 (occasionally — in pastures — of straw, and therefore com- 

 paratively bulky), and is lined with horsehairs, whence the 

 name " Hairbird." I have one made entirely of white hairs, 

 and strikingly different from aU other specimens of bird- 

 architecture. The nest is usually placed, not far from the 

 ground,^* in shrubbery near houses, in piazza-vines, or in 

 cedar trees — particularly those in pastures; also not infre- 

 quently in pines or orchard trees, and less often in shade 

 trees. The eggs average .68 X -48 of an inch, and are light 

 but bright bluish green, with dark purplish and black mark- 



* One of our most abundant and '* In a few exceptional cases it has 

 universally distributed summer resi- been found upon it. 

 dents, breeding practically everywhere 

 throughout New England. — W. B. 



