64 RIVERBY 



birds says the sparrow sometimes lays in April, when 

 snow is yet upon the ground. 



The sparrow is not a beautiful bird except in our 

 affections and associations, and its eggs are not beauti- 

 ful as eggs go, — four or five little freckled spheres, 

 that, like the bird itself, blend well with the ground 

 upon which they are placed. 



The eggs of the " chippie, " or social sparrow, are 

 probably the most beautiful of sparrow eggs, being 

 of a bright bluish green with a ring of dark purple 

 spots around the larger end. 



Generally there is but little relation between the 

 color of the bird and the color of its egg. For the 

 most part, the eggs of birds that occupy open, ex- 

 posed nests are of some tint that harmonizes weU 

 with the surroundings. With the addition of specks 

 of various hue, they are rendered still less conspicu- 

 ous. The eggs of the scarlet tanager are greenish 

 blue, with faint brown or purplish markings. The 

 blackbird lays a greenish blue egg also, with various 

 markings. Indeed, the favorite ground tint of the 

 birds that build open nests is a greenish blue ; some- 

 times the blue predominates, sometimes the green; 

 while the eggs of birds that build concealed nests, 

 or lay in dark cavities, are generally white, as the 

 eggs of the various woodpeckers, chickadees, and 

 nuthatches. The eggs of the bluebird are bluish 

 white. 



Among the flycatchers, the nest of the phoebe is 

 most concealed, at least from above, and her eggs 

 are white, while those of nearly all the other species 



