OUR HOME BIRDS. 
27 
hour together. It is fond of frequenting the borders 
of rivers, meadows, swamps, and such-like watery 
places ; and if wounded and unable to fly, will read- 
ily take to the water and swim with considerable 
rapidity.’ 
“ This little bird makes its nest on the ground 
under a tuft of grass : it is made of fine dry grass, 
lined with horse-hair, and contains four or five blu- 
ish-white eggs, marked with numerous spots of red- 
dish-brown ; there are usually three broods of young 
ones in a season. The nest, however, is not always 
on the ground ; it is sometimes found in a tree, though 
never very high up. 
“ This month of March is the very time when the 
early birds begin their songs ; and one day last week, 
when I took a long walk to the butter-woman’s, I 
heard one of these little sparrows trilling forth his 
sweet song from a blackberry-hedge on the roadside, 
and presently his little striped back appeared, and I 
recognized my old friend come to tell me that spring 
w^as almost here.” 
“ Did he really say so ?” asked Edith, wonderingly. 
“ Only in bird-language, dear, which means sing- 
ing ; but I understood the little song-sparrow’s mes- 
sage as well as if he had actually spoken to me. He 
did not make a mistake in saying that spring was 
coming, although we have had a snow-storm since 
