THE SPARROW FAMILY. 



We all know some of the members of 

 the Sparrow family, little gray and brown 

 birds, striped above and lighter under- 

 neath. They belong to the Finch family, 

 which is the largest of all the bird families. 

 'One-seventh of all the birds belong to 

 this family. Just think how many uncles 

 and cousins and aunts the little sparrows 

 have ! They are birds of the ground, not 

 birds of the trees, like the vireos. They 

 only choose high perches when they wish 

 to rest or sing. We see them hunting for 

 food in the grassy meadows, or fresh-* 

 plowed field, or in the dusty road. They 

 usually make their nests in low bushes 

 or on the ground and, as a rule, they fly 

 only short distances, and do not skim 

 around just for the fun of it, like the swal- 

 lows. 



There are over forty different kinds of 

 sparrows in our country. 



The English sparrows are found all 

 over the world. They stay with us all the 

 year round. We ought to be friendly 

 with them as we have such a good chance 

 to become acquainted. They certainly in- 

 tend to be friendly with us for they 

 scarcely fly away at our approach. Mother 

 Sparrow is a hard worker, raising four 

 broods every year. Just think how many 

 children and grand-children one sparrow 

 can have ! English sparrows are called 

 quarrelsome birds, and I believe it is true 

 that they have driven away many of the 

 pretty bluebirds, but we sometimes think 

 they are quarreling when they are not. 

 Have you ever noticed a crowd of spar- 

 rows following one bird ? I used to think 

 that they were all quarreling with that 

 one bird ; but no, they follow her because 

 they admire and like her. Some people 

 scold a great deal about the harm that 

 the sparrows do to the fruit and grain. 

 But think of the many insects that these 

 birds eat in one year! I believe they do 

 more good than harm, don't you? 



The chipping sparrow often builds its 

 nest in tall trees. This is the only spar- 

 row I know of, which builds its nest up 



high. This bird is smaller than the Eng- 

 lish sparrow. It has a reddish-brown 

 back and crown. Did you ever hear its 

 funny little song? It sounds like the buz- 

 zing of a locust. It can call, chip ! chip ! 

 too. 



The field sparrow is about the same 

 size as the chipping sparrow and its head 

 and back are of the same color. As can be 

 guessed from its name, it is fond of fields 

 and meadows. The field sparrow sings 

 very sweetly. 



Then there is the fox; sparrow, which is 

 not only the largest of the sparrows, but 

 the finest singer. It comes about as early 

 as the bluebird. We often hear its sweet 

 song in March. It is called the fox spar- 

 row, not because it is sly like the fox, but 

 on account of its color which is reddish 

 like the fox's fur. 



The grasshopper sparrow is smaller 

 than the English sparrow. It has a cry 

 which sounds like a grasshopper in the 

 grass. 



The song sparrow is one of the com- 

 monest of our birds, staying with us near- 

 ly all the year. The name indicates to us 

 that it has a sweet voice. It begins to sing 

 almost as early as the robin and will 

 sing every hour in the day and seems 

 never to tire of singing. The song spar- 

 row is about the same size as the English 

 sparrow. 



Then there are the savanna sparrow 

 and the seaside sparrow which are fond 

 of marshes, near the sea ; and the white- 

 crowned. This and the white-throated 

 sparrows are both fine singers and hand- 

 some birds. They are larger than the 

 English sparrow. The vesper sparrow 

 has a fine voice, singing late in the after- 

 noon and evening. It is as fond of the 

 meadows as the field sparrow. The two 

 birds are often taken for each other, but 

 if the vesper sparrow is watched when it 

 flies, it will be seen that it has white tail 

 quills which the field sparrow does not 

 possess. Pxoth are about the same size. 



The winter chippy or tree sparrow is a 



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