366 YELLOW-WINGED SPARROW. 



among the grass; is formed of loose dry grass, and lined 

 with hair and fibrous roots of plants. The eggs are five, of 

 a greyish white sprinkled with brown. On the first of 

 August I found the female sitting. 



I cannot say what extent of range this species has, having 

 never met with it in the southern states ; though I have no 

 doubt that it winters there, with many others of its tribe. It 

 is the scarcest of all our summer sparrows. Its food consists 

 principally of grass seeds, and the larvas of insects, which it is 

 almost continually in search of among the loose soil and on 

 the surface ; consequently it is more useful to the farmer than 

 otherwise. 



The length of this species is five inches; extent, eight inches; 

 upper part of the head, blackish, divided by a slight line of 

 white ; hind head and neck above, marked with short lateral 

 touches of black and white ; a line of yellow extends from 

 above the eye to the nostril ; cheeks, plain brownish white ; 

 back, streaked with black, brown, and pale ash ; shoulders of 

 the wings, above and below, and lesser coverts, olive yellow ; 

 greater wing-coverts, black, edged with pale ash ; primaries, 

 light drab ; tail, the same, the feathers rather pointed at the 

 ends, the outer ones white ; breast, plain yellowish white, or 

 pale ochre, which distinguishes it from the Savannah sparrow ; 

 (plate xxii. fig. 3.) ; belly and vent, white ; three or four 

 slight touches of dusky at the sides of the breast ; ' legs, flesh 

 colour; bill, dusky above, pale bluish white below. The male 

 and female are nearly alike in colour. 



