108 TREE SPARROW. 



advances farther north to breed ; and returns in autumn on its way 

 southward. It also visits Newfoundland.* 



By some of our own naturalists this species has been confounded with 

 the Chipping Sparrow (fig. 5), which it very much resembles ; but is 

 larger and handsomer ; and is never found with us in summer. The 

 former departs for the south about the same time that the latter arrives 

 from the north ; and from this circumstance, and their general resem- 

 blance, has arisen the mistake. 



The Tree Sparrow is six inches and a half long, and nine and a half 

 in extent ; the whole upper part of the head is of a bright reddish chest- 

 nut, sometimes slightly skirted with gray ; from the nostrils over the 

 eye passes a white strip fading into pale ash as it extends back ; sides 

 of the neck, chin and breast very pale ash ; the centre of the breast 

 marked with an obscure spot of dark brown ; from the lower angle of 

 the biU proceeds a slight streak of chestnut ; sides under the wings pale 

 brown ; back handsomely streaked with pale drab, bright bay and black ; 

 lower part of the back and rump brownish drab ; lesser wing coverts 

 black, edged with pale ash ; wings black, broadly edged with bright 

 bay ; the first and second row of coverts tipped with pure white ; tail 

 black, forked, and exteriorly edged with dull white ; belly and vent 

 brownish white ; bill black above, yellow below ; legs a brownish clay 

 color ; feet black. The female is about half an inch shorter ; the chest- 

 nut or bright bay on the wings, back and crown is less brilliant ; and 

 the white on the coverts narrower, and not so pure. These are all the 

 differences I can perceive. 



* Arct. Zool. Vol. II., p. 373. 



