108 
TREE SPARROW. 
advances farther north to breed ; and returns in autumn on its way 
southward. It also visits Newfoundland.* 
By some of our own naturalists this species has been confounded with 
the Chipping Sparrow (fig. 5), which it very much resembles ; but is 
larger and handsomer ; and is never found with us in summer. The 
former departs for the south about the same time that the latter arrives 
from the north ; and from this circumstance, and their general resem- 
blance, has arisen the mistake. 
The Tree Sparrow is six inches and a half long, and nine and a half 
in extent ; the whole upper part of the head is of a bright reddish chest- 
nut, sometimes slightly skirted with gray ; from the nostrils over the 
eye passes a white strip fading into pale ash as it extends back ; sides 
of the neck, chin and breast very pale ash ; the centre of the breast 
marked with an obscure spot of dark brown ; from the lower angle of 
the bill proceeds a slight streak of chestnut ; sides under the wings pale 
brown ; back handsomely streaked with pale drab, bright bay and black ; 
lower part of the back and rump brownish drab ; lesser wing coverts 
black, edged with pale ash ; wings black, broadly edged with bright 
bay ; the first and second roAV of coverts tipped with pure white ; tail 
black, forked, and exteriorly edged with dull white ; belly and vent 
brownish white ; bill black above, yellow below ; legs a brownish clay 
color ; feet black. The female is about half an inch shorter ; the chest- 
nut or bright bay on the wings, back and crown is less brilliant ; and 
the white on the coverts narrower, and not so pure. These are all the 
differences I can perceive. 
* Arct. Zool. Vol. II., p. 373. 
