122 



FIELD SPARROW 



worthy of notice. They are innocent in their habits, subsisting 

 chiefly on the small seeds of wild plants, and seldom injm^ing the 

 property of the farmer. In the dreary season of winter some of 

 them enliven the prospect by hopping familiarly about our doors, 

 humble pensioners on the sweepings of the threshold. 



The present species has never before, to my knowledge, been 

 figured. It is five inches and a quarter long, and eight inches 

 broad; bill and legs a reddish cinnamon color; upper part of the 

 head deep chesnut divided by a slight streak of drab widening as 

 it goes back; cheeks, line over the eye, breast and sides under the 

 wings a brownish clay color, lightest on the chin, and darkest on 

 the ear feathers ; a small streak of brown at the lower angle of the 

 bill; back streaked with black, drab, and bright bay, the latter 

 being generally centered with the former; rump dark drab, or 

 cinereous; wings dusky black, the primaries edged with whitish, 

 the secondaries bordered with bright bay; greater wing coverts 

 black, edged and broadly tipt with brownish white; tail dusky 

 black, edged with clay color: male and female nearly alike in 

 plumage; the chesnut on the crown of the male rather brighter* 



