62 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. III. 



hiding nature of the Junco. They feed the same as the Junco, and have 

 a great partiality for worms and caterpillars. 



Melospiza georgiana .— The Swamp Sparrow has precisely the same 

 habits as the Song Sparrow with a greater fondness for the water ; after 

 taking a good bath and getting thoroughly soaked it will roll in the sand ; 

 it feeds the same as the Song Sparrow and will eat worms, caterpillars, 

 grasshoppers, and berries. 



Passerella iliaca— The Fox Sparrow is the largest and handsomest 

 of the Sparrows I have ever kept, they are of a sociable disposition and 

 their habits and food the same as the other Sparrows. 



Pipilo erythrophthalmus.— The Towhee is a most interesting bird, 

 very tame and quiet, but very hard to keep long, sensitive to cold and 

 draughts ; they are of a playful nature, and will play with anything they 

 find in the cage such as string, etc. They spend all their time on the 

 ground searching for seed and have a great partiality for hemp and sun- 

 flower seed. 



Cardinalis cardinalis— The Cardinal is much like the Towhee in 

 habits but not quite so familiar with the other birds that seem to hold 

 him in a kind of reverence ; they very seldom molest him and are glad to 

 get away when he is disturbed. It is very sensitive to cold and draught 

 and spends most of its time on the ground. They eat sunflower, hemp, 

 buckwheat and mountain ash berries. 



Regulus satrapa. — Golden-crown Kinglet. These minute and beauti- 

 ful little birds may be kept for a while in a cage and fed on small seeds, 

 but will not thrive unless they have insect food. They are very tame but 

 not cowardly and will attack any bird that comes near them. 



Sialia sialis. — The Bluebirds can be kept in a cage, but not with 

 success ; they can be fed on hemp seed and Mocking Bird food, with an 

 occasional worm ; they will become very tame and feed from the hand, 

 but seem to always pine for liberty, and if not released soon die. 



Passer domesticus. — For four years I have kept English Sparrows 

 in confinement and though they are credited with doing great damage to 

 grain crops, my birds would never touch wheat, oats, corn, or peas ; they 

 would prefer crumbs of bread or a crust to seed at any time, and never 

 kept healthy when fed on seed alone. This summer I caught several 

 young Sparrows and put them in a cage in the yard to be fed by the 

 old birds, which laboured from morning till night bringing caterpillars and 

 grasshoppers from a neighbouring garden to feed them, and I have 

 watched the old birds on the berry bushes picking off the caterpillars 

 and other insects but leaving the berries untouched. — Geo. E. ATKINSON 



