SONG SPARROW 309 



more or less brown on the breast and head. Some are 

 quite light, some quite dark. Here is one of the light- 

 breasted on the top of an apple tree, sings unweariedly 

 at regular intervals something like tchulp \ chilt chUt, 

 chilt chilt, (faster and faster) chilt chilt, chilt chilt | 

 fuller tchay ter splay-ee. The last, or third, bar I am not 

 sure about. It flew too soon for me. I only remember 

 that the last part was sprinkled on the air like drops 

 from a rill, as if its strain were moulded by the spray 

 it sat upon. 



June 22, 1856. Ricketson says that they say at New 

 Bedford that the song sparrow says, Maids, maids, 

 maids, — ha/ng on your tea-kettle-ettle-ettle-ettle-ettle. 



Jan. 21, 1857. Minott tells me that Sam Barrett told 

 him once when he went to mill that a song sparrow took 

 up its quarters in his grist-mill and stayed there all 

 winter. When it did not help itself he used to feed it 

 with meal, for he was glad of its company ; so, what with 

 the dashing water and the crumbs of meal, it must have 

 fared well. 



Jan. 28, 1857. Am again surprised to see a song 

 sparrow sitting for hours on our wood-pile in the yard, 

 in the midst of snow in the yard. It is unwilling to 

 move. People go to the pump, and the cat and dog walk 

 round the wood-pile without starting it. I examine it 

 at my leisure through a glass. Remarkable that the 

 coldest of all winters these summer birds should remain. 

 Perhaps it is no more comfortable this season further 

 south, where they are accustomed to abide. In the after- 

 noon this sparrow joined a flock of tree sparrows on 

 the bare ground west of the house. It was amusing to 



