WHITE-THROATED AND WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. 



49 



the powers of song, is exceedingly plain in his apparel. His under 

 parts are white, anteriorly touched with the slightest tint of buff; 

 sides olive ; fore part of the breaft and sides of the throat distinctly 

 marked with sub-triangular spots of dark olive-brown, with bill of 

 a dusky yellowish hue. Length about seven inches, wing three 

 and one-half, tail two and one-fourth inches. The range of the 

 Hermit Thrush is from the Mississippi eastward throughout North 

 America to the arctic regions. It is, however, a rare bird, exceed- 

 ingly shy and secluded in its habits, though, when captured young, 

 is easily tamed. Fearful and retiring in the presence of man, it 

 attacks its natural enemy, the hawk, with great vigor and courage, 

 forcing him to retire discomfited. Its favorite winter haunts are 

 in the Southern States, where great numbers may be found, and in 

 Southern Illinois it has been observed at this season as far north as 

 latitude 38 . It is one of the earliest of our migratory birds, ar- 

 riving in Maine, where it breeds in vast numbers, by the middle of 

 April. Its return journey is performed during the latter part of 

 October. When migrating, they fly in small straggling parties, 

 and never indulge in song. 



During its season of courtship, it is rarely to be met with outside 

 of the deepest and most remote forests, and nearly always in damp 

 and swampy localities. Its nests are nearly always built upon the 

 ground, in open places, or under low spreading brush, and near its 

 favorite swamp. It is composed of dead leaves, dried grasses, and 

 twigs, and is lined with the inner peelings of bark, fine soft sedges, 

 and grasses. The eggs vary from four to five in number, and are- 

 uniform in color, being of a bluish-green, varying from .88 to .94 

 in length by .63. 



Both Wilson and Audubon were unfamiliar with the wonderful 

 gift of song with which this bird is possessed. Wilson says it has 

 " only in spring an occasional squeak, like that of a young stray 

 chicken." Audubon's testimony is equally erroneous. "The Her- 

 mit Thrush," he says, " has no song, and only utters a soft, plaint- 

 ive note, seldom heard at a greater distance than twenty-five or 

 thirty yards." With the exception of the Wood Thrush, we have 

 no bird to compare with the Hermit Thrush in the beauty and 

 melody of his song. It begins low, sweet, and exceedingly soft, 

 and, rising, ends abruptly in the highest, the sharpest of ringing 

 notes. No silver horn, no tinkling bell, ever emitted purer notes. 

 Mr. Burroughs describes his song in words so fitting that we can not 

 resist the temptation to quote them. *« I often hear him," he says, 

 «' a long way off, sometimes over a quarter of a mile away , when only 

 the stronger and more perfect parts of his music reach me ; and, 

 through the general chorus of wrens and warblers, I detect his 

 song, rising pure and serene, as if a spirit from some remote height 

 were slowly chanting a divine accompaniment. This song appeals 

 to the sentiment of the beautiful in me, and suggests a serene re- 

 ligious beatitude, as no other sound in nature does. It is, perhaps, 

 more of an evening than a morning hymn, though I hear it all 

 hours of the day. It is very simple, and I can hardly tell the se- 

 cret of its charm. ' O spheral, spheral!' he seems to say. 'O 

 holy, holy ! O clear away, clear away ! O clear up, clear up !' 

 interspersed with the finest trills and the most delicate preludes. 

 It is not a proud, gorgeous strain, like the Tanager's or the Gros- 

 beak's ; suggests no passion or emotion — nothing personal ; but 

 seems to be the voice of that calm, sweet solemnity one attains to 

 in his best moments. It realizes a peace and a deep solemn joy 

 that only the finest souls may know." 



The White-throated Sparrow, or Peabody-bird. {Zonotrichia albicollis.) 



Fig. 6. 



This beautiful Sparrow is easily recognized by the two black 

 stripes on his crown separated by one of white, and by his pure 

 white throat, sharply defined against the dark ash of the breast and 

 sides of the neck and head. His back is continuously streaked 

 with black, chestnut, and tawny white ; rump ashy, destitute of 



markings; edge of the wings yellow ; belly white. Length about 

 seven inches, and nine inches across the wings ; tail from three to 

 four inches. The range of the White-throated Sparrow compasses 

 all parts of North America from the Great Plains, east, north, and 

 south, touching the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, and the extreme 

 arctic regions. It winters in the Southern States, being found 

 there in great abundance from October to May, where, according 

 to Audubon, it is considered a great delicacy. Its favorite breed- 

 ing places are from 44 latitude north, where it arrives from 

 the 1st to the 20th of May. The nest is usually built upon the 

 ground, in various situations, in swampy thickets, in pasture cradle- 

 holes, and sometimes in the hollow of decayed stumps. It is large, 

 deep, and roomy, constructed of moss, grasses, twigs, and lined 

 with hair, feathers, and silken grasses. The eggs are usually four 

 in number, sometimes ranging as high as seven, of a greenish- 

 white, and blotched all over with a rusty brown. The White- 

 throated Sparrow produces but one brood during the season. It 

 is gregarious in its habits, and may be seen in flocks, near moist 

 thickets. Its song would be very pleasing were it more varied. 

 In confinement, they become very tame, and, during the spring 

 months, sing night and day. They are very abundant among the 

 White Mountains, and are known there as the Peabody-bird. Dr. 

 Brewer says of its song, that it "is rather sprightly and pleasing 

 than plaintive;" that "in each case their refrain is measured by 

 twelve syllables, but these versions bear but a slight resemblance 

 to the real notes ;" and that " they are repeated quite constantly, 

 and with little or no variation, and soon become monotonous." He 

 interprets his song as follows: "I — have — got — plenty — to-e-at, 

 but no che-eze" Samuels, however, claims for his song real 

 beauty. He tells us that " it is difficult of description, but resem- 

 bles nearly the syllables 'c/ie a d&e de; de-d-de, de-d-de, dt-d-de, 

 de-d-de, uttered at first loud and clear, and rapidly falling in tone 

 and decreasing in volume." 



No sooner do these welcome visitors arrive than every hedge 

 and fence is alive with them. They form parties of some forty or 

 fifty birds, and fly down from time to time upon the surrounding 

 district in search of food ; hopping gaily about as they peck the 

 small grass-seeds that constitute their principal nourishment, and 

 hurrying back to their perch at the first intimation of danger. 

 Nothing can be more amicable than the terms on which they seem 

 to live. The time between their excursions over the field is passed, 

 not in noisy strife, but in pouring forth a constant flow of song, so 

 sweet as to please the ears of the most indifferent or unmusical 

 listener. At early dawn, the little community is roused by a 

 peculiar shrill warning cry, somewhat resembling the syllable 

 " twit." This is uttered during the night, when, no doubt, it is 

 intended as an intimation that all is well. Should the day be 

 warm, the whole flock seek shelter in the woods, and deport them- 

 selves upon the branches of the wild vine — rarely, however, flying 

 to any great distance from their usual haunts. 



The White-throated Sparrow is always an ornament to any land- 

 scape, and his melody is ever charming. His food is chiefly of 

 insects, the farmer's pests, varying it occasionally with a few ber- 

 ries and small seed. 



The White-crowned Sparrow. {Zonotrichia leucophrys.) 



Fig. 7. 



The portraiture of this species was made from a beautiful speci- 

 men presented by Dr. J. M. Wheaton, Ornithologist of the Ohio 

 State Geological Survey. Its characteristics are similar to the 

 White-throated Sparrow, but not so abundant. The male is about 

 seven inches and a half long, and ten inches broad ; the bill is a 

 cinnamor.-brown ; the crown is a pure white, bounded on each side 

 by a narrow stripe of black, then again by a narrow stripe of white 

 passing over the eye ; the chin is white ; the breast, sides of the 

 neck, and the upper parts pale ash color ; the ba,ck streamed, with 



