286 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Haunts and habits. The Vesper sparrow, Bay-winged bunting or 

 Grass finch, as this bird is called in different parts of the country, inhabits 

 open grassy fields, being almost entirely a ground bird ; but it prefers pasture 

 lands and fields with sparse cover of weeds and grasses to the dense meadow 

 lands and, on the whole, enjoys a drier soil than the Savannah sparrow. 

 It is frequently seen in plowed fields and along the dusty roadsides running 

 along in front of the traveler and, when too closely pressed, darts away 

 with a rather hurried, sweeping, slightly undulating flight to some distant 

 fence post or to the shelter of the grass. 



The song of this species is heard mostly in the morning, late in the 

 afternoon and in the evening as late as an hour after sundown. It consists 

 of two long, low notes, succeeded by two higher notes, then descends in 

 chippering trills, the whole song being somewhat longer and more deliberate 

 than that of the Song sparrow. On clear evenings in May and early June 

 if one walks into the country and takes one's station near some crossroad, 

 the song of the Vesper sparrow may often be heard in a dozen different 

 directions at the same time; first one individual from a near-by fence post 

 takes up the refrain, followed by another farther in the field standing 

 upon a clod of earth, another farther off on top of a small tree, still farther 

 one from a fence rail, and so in every direction near and far at intervals 

 from different individuals the song will be repeated, the farthermost sending 

 only the two higher notes to the ear of the listener. Such a concert is 

 really inspiring if one will take the trouble to stop and listen. The song 

 is loud, clear and ringing, "sweeter and more plaintive than that of the 

 Song sparrow " (Chapman). * 



The nest of this species is invariably placed upon the ground, usually 

 beside a clod of earth, partly under a clvimp of grass, or beside a growing 

 weed in the open field, rather loosely constructed of coarse grass and weed 

 stalks, lined with finer grasses, rootlets and long hair. The eggs are 4 

 or 5 in number, grayish white or bluish white in ground color, spotted 

 with umber and reddish brown. Average size .83 by .61 inches. The 

 period of incubation is about 10 days. Two broods are reared in a season 



