L 



$ 4 





^AMERICAN OSPREY. 





VOL. I. 



ASHLAND, KY., JULY, 1890. 



NO. 7 



BIRD STUDIES.— III. 



THE SONG SPARROW. 



BY PIC U.S. 



When the young ornithologist conies 

 to studying the sparrows, his trouble 

 begins; all are plain colored birds, and 

 look alike; but a red cap, a patch of black 

 i»r a white tail-feather will divide them 

 into several different species. 



The foremost bird of this class, and 

 the one which in all localities will be 

 first, is the Song Sparrow. If one did 

 not immediately recognize his voice, the 

 black spots on a gray breast would afford 

 a sure clue to his identity. In this local- 

 ity where the Tree Sparrow is a winter 

 resident, the Song Sparrow is first of his 

 tribe to arrive, coming about the first 

 week in March. 



This bird is truly a "song" sparrow: 

 none of his race can equal him in volu- 

 bility, and some one has counted up- 

 wards of a dozen variations of the song; 

 he sings loudest in the early morning, 

 though his song continues to be heard 

 throughout the day; nor, does the heat of 

 August entirely silence him, as any 

 wanderer along the river banks or in the 

 woods can bear witness; even in the 

 calm days of Indian summer he sings 

 snatches of his spring song. 



The first brood of Song Sparrows are 

 reared on the ground; the nest being 

 placed in a slight hollow in the ground 

 and usualiy sheltered by an overhang- 

 ing bank or tussock of grass, though 

 sometimes, it is quite unprotected; it is 

 composed of grass and weed stalks and 

 lined with finer grasses and the hair of 

 horses or cows. As the season advances 

 this sparrow takes to nesting in trees 

 where most of the second and third 



broods are reared. The nest is the same 

 as when built on the ground, except that 

 it is, perhaps, a little more bulky. 



The eggs are four or five in number 

 and vary greatly in size and color, in 

 fact, it would be hard to find a bird 

 whose eggs vary more. The ground 

 color is greenish, or bluish or grayish- 

 white, and this is speckled all over, but 

 chiefly at the larger end of the eggs, with 

 shades of brown and lilac. The later 

 nests commonly do not contain so many 

 eggs as the early ones. 



BIRDS OF COLUMBIA COUNTY 

 WISCONSIN. 



Crow, (Corvus frugivorus) common, 

 many winter here, nests in April and 

 May. Eggs from two to seven in num- 

 ber. 



Blue Jay, (Cyanocitta cristata) com- 

 mon, winter resident, nests in April and 

 May. Eggs four or five. 



Robin, (Merula migratoria) common, 

 early spring comer, nests in April and 

 May. Eggs four or five. 



Bluebird, (Sialia sialis) common, early 

 spring comer, nests in May. Eggs 

 four or five. 



Purple Martin, (Progne subis) formerly 

 common, come in May, leave in Septem- 

 ber, nests in May and June. Eggs four. 



Catbird, (Galeoscoptes carolinensis) 

 common summer resident, nests in 

 May and June. Eggs from three to six. 



Purple Grackle, (Quiscalus purpureur) 

 common spring, summer and fall resi- 

 dent, nests in April. Eggs four or five. 



Red-and-buff-Shouldered Blackbird, 

 abundant summer resident, nests in May 

 and June. Eggs from four to six. 

 (Continued on lid page.) 



