A PUZZLE IN BIRDS 



along the roadsides, or in the garden. One can dis- 

 tinguish them by their heavily marked breast with a 

 conspicuous brown spot in the middle. 



Soon after the middle of March we are likely to notice, 

 on the edge of the woods, or along retired wooded 

 roads, a bird of deep rich brown color. It is the Fox 

 Sparrow, the largest and handsomest of the sparrows. 

 It is fond of scratching among the dead leaves, and is 

 a great musician, though, unfortunately, it seldom sings 

 until it approaches its Northern breeding grounds, for it 

 never remains with us. I have twice found its large, 

 well-built nest on the Magdalen Islands and have heard 

 there many a time its wonderful song. 



Probably the next to arrive will be the Swamp Spar- 

 row, late in March. It frequents bushy swamps or 

 meadows interspersed with brush, and, though it 

 resembles the Song Sparrow, can be readily distin- 

 guished from it by its reddish head and unmarked 

 ashy breast. The song is a loud, simple trill, not unlike 

 that of the Junco. The rare Lincoln's Sparrow, related 

 closely to this and the Song Sparrow, is also possible 

 reward for careful scrutiny. 



Late in March or early in April comes the Field 

 Sparrow, and about the middle of April the nearly 

 related Chipping Sparrow. These and the Tree Spar- 

 row are a good deal alike — slender, long-tailed little 

 fellows, with brownish-red crowns. The best way to 

 distinguish them is that the Tree Sparrow has a con- 

 spicuous dark spot on the middle of the breast, the 



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