THE HAWKEYE ORNITHOLOGIST AND OOLOGIST. 



81 



its species answer, while the robin, the 

 wood and hermit thrushes, have already 

 been wide awake and greeting the new-born 

 day with their soul-inspiring melodies; but 

 in the open fields, though the solos of other 

 species are not to be despised, the Song 

 Sparrow is the master musician. 



And this bird is not only a pleasing song- 

 ster, but also a hardy and adventurous rang- 

 er; some of its species generally returning 

 to this country while the ground is still 

 deep in the garb of winter, and the water- 

 courses locked in bands of ice. And no 

 sooner does the pioneer penetrate the back- 

 woods, erect his rude shafcity, and begins to 

 clear the surrounding forest, than from the 

 brush-piles or the newly cut stump, this lit- 

 tle companion of civilization greets and 

 cheers him with its song which must ever 

 recall, to the thoughtful mind, the days of 

 youth, forever gone, when we wandered 

 o'er the homestead or played round the 

 dwelling called by the endearing name of 

 'home;' and not until the night frosts and 

 stormy winds of autumn herald the ap- 

 proach of winter, does this songster cease 

 its lays, forsake its Canadian home, and be- 

 gin its flight toward the sunny South. Its 

 arrival in Central Ontario, of course, de- 

 pends much upon the weather, but general- 

 ly in the last week of March, sometimes by 

 the 20th of that month the appearance of 

 some of the more adventurous of these 

 birds may be looked for; and by the middle 

 of April, the great body have probably all 

 arrived and dispersed over the country 

 where they make their homes for the 

 season. 



As soon as the weather becomes suffic- 

 iently temperate, they begin to select their 

 nesting sites, usually in the first week of 

 May. In the early part of the season, the 

 nesting place is usually found to be in the 

 side of a bank, the root of a fallen tree, lin- 

 ger a log or stump, or in a bunch of grass 



or stubble; but, later in the season, they 

 will nest wherever they can find sufficient 

 shelter, whether in the grass or grain field, 

 the garden, the newly chopped fallow, or 

 the margins of the woods. Sometimes they 

 will build in the thickest parts of an ever- 

 green or a thorn-bush, several feet from the 

 ground; again, their nests may be found in 

 a hollow stump or old log, or sunk in a 

 hole in the ground. On one occasion I saw 

 a nest of this species, with three fresh eggs, 

 on the (ith of August, in a shock of fall 

 wheat that had been set up six days before, 

 and often in the pea harvest, I have seen 

 their nests among the long, tangled vines; 

 and on several occasions I have found their 

 nest in tufts of water grass deep in the 

 woods, and also in brush- piles. The nest is 

 formed of any soft materials that come in 

 the birds' way; stalks of weeds, vines, grass, 

 dry leaves, and hair of either horses, cattle 

 or other animals, are commonly used, and 

 neatly placed in a form that can generally 

 be distinguished from any other species. 



The set of eggs in the early part of the 

 season is always four or five; but later, 

 three, and sometimes two form the clutch. 

 The eggs of this species vary much in color 

 and markings, having a greyish, whitish, 

 greenish or bluish hue, sometimes clay-col- 

 or; spotted and blotched with varying 

 shades of brown. It nests several times in 

 a season. 



It feeds occasionally on grain, seeds and 

 small fruits, but its principal food appears 

 to he insects and their pioducts, as well as 

 the lower forms of animal life, of which 

 it destroys vast numbers. 



When mated, these birds appear to be 

 strongly attached to each other, and their 

 affection for their young is very great. 



The Song Sparrow is over six inches in 

 length. The plumage on the upper parts 

 is marked with brown, bay and ash white, 

 the breast and sides are streaked with dark 

 lines, and the lower parts are whitish; the 

 crown is dull" bay with fine black lines. 

 Both sexes are alike in color and size. 

 [to be continued.] 



