CHIPPING SPARROW. 177 
this bird in every district of the United States, from Canada to the 
southern boundaries of Georgia; but Mr. Abbot informs me that he 
knows of only one or two species that remain in that. part of Georgia 
during the summer. ; Pht 
The Song Sparrow builds in the ground, under a tuft of grass; the 
nest is formed of fine, dry grass, and lined with horse hair; the eggs 
are four or five, thickly marked with spots of reddish brown, on a 
white, sometimes bluish white, ground ; if not interrupted, raises three 
broods in the season. I have found his nest with young as early as 
the 26th of April, and as late as the 12th of August. What is sin- 
gular, the same bird often fixes his nest in a cedar-tree, five or six feet 
from the ground. Supposing this to have been a variety, or different 
species, I have examined the bird, nest, and eggs, with particular care, 
several times, but found no difference. I have observed the same 
accidental habit in the Red-winged Blackbird, which sometimes builds 
among the grass, as well as on alder bushes, ' 
This species is six inches.and a half long, and eight and a half in 
extent; upper part of the head, dark chestnut, divided laterally by a 
line of pale dirty white ; spot at each nostril, yellow ochre ; line over 
the eye, inclining to ash; chin, white; streak from the lower mandi- 
ble, slit of the mouth, and posterior angle of the eye, dark chestnut ; 
breast, and sides under the wings, thickly marked with long-pointed 
spots of dark chestnut, centred with black, and running in chains; 
belly, white ; vent, yellow ochre, streaked with brown ; back, streaked 
with b_ack, bay, and pale ochre ; tail, brown, rounded at the end, the 
two middle feathers streaked down their centres with black; legs, 
flesh colored ; wing-coverts, black, broadly edged with bay, and tipped 
with yellowish white; wings, dark brown. The female is scarcely 
distinguishable by its plumage from the male. The bill in both, 
horn colored. i 
CHIPPING SPARROW. — FRINGILLA SOCIALIS. — Fie. 75. 
Passer domesticus, The Little House Sparrow, or Chipping Bird, Bartram, p. 291. 
’ — Peale’s Museum, No. 6571. 
EMBERIZA SOCIALIS. — Swainson. 
Fringilla socialis, Bonap. Synop. p. 109. 
. Tars species, though destitute of the musical talents of the former, 
is, perhaps, more generally known, because more familiar, and even 
domestic.. He inhabits, during summer, the city, in common with 
man, building in the branches of the trees with which our streets and 
gardens are ornamented ; and gleaning up crumbs from our yards, and 
even our doors, to feed his more advanced young with. I have known 
one of these birds attend regularly every day, during a whole summer, 
‘while the family were at dinnex under a piazza, fronting the garden, 
’ 
