BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
235 
consists principally of different kinds of small seeds, also small beetles, 
grasshoppers, spiders, ants and small mollusca. 
Ammodr amus sa vannar um passer inus ( W ils . ) • 
Grasshopper Sparrow ; Yellow-winged Sparrow. 
Description (^Plate 32. Fig. S). 
“ Bill stout ; legs flesh color ; tail double rounded. Above brownish-rufous, mar- 
gined ^narrowly and abruptly with ash color; reddest on lower part of back and 
rump ; the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion ; this color visible on 
the interscapular region, where the rufous is more restricted ; crown blackish, with 
a central and superciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brightest in front 
of the eye ; bend of the wing bright yellow ; lesser coverts tinged with greenish- 
yellow ; quills and tail feathers edged with whitish ; tertiaries much variegated ; 
lower parts brownish-yellow ; belly white or nearly so ; feathers of upper breast 
and sides of body with obsoletely darker centers. 
Young. — Very similar to adult ; upper part of breast streaked with dark brown, 
much more distinct than in the adult, and exhibiting a close resemblance to A. hens- 
lowii. Feathers of upper parts with less brownish rufous but more ashy edgings. 
Length about 5 inches ; extent about 8 inches.” — B. B. N. A. 
Habitat . — Eastern United States and southern Canada to the plains, south to 
Florida, Cuba, Porto Rico and co^t of Central America. 
This bird is somewhat irregularly distributed. In the southern and 
southeastern portions of our state it is quite common from about May 1 
to the middle of September. In Crawford and Erie counties, or in the 
extreme northwestern part of the commonwealth, Mr. George B. Sennett 
has found it to be a rare summer sojourner. It is reported to be a rather 
common summer resident in central Pennsylvania. I have found them 
to be very common in summer at State College, in Centre county. The 
name Grasshopper Sparrow is given because its note bears a very close 
resemblance to that of the grasshopper. In Chester and the neighbor- 
ing counties this bird is a common frequenter of dry sandy meadows, 
clover and grass fields, about which it may often be seen perched on the 
top of low weeds or on posts and fence rails. This is one of the spar- 
rows to be seen in the summer time jierched on the fences along the 
roadsides. I have never observed a bird of this species in a tree, and it 
rarely is seen to perch on bushes. The nest is built on the ground, and 
is usually concealed by a tuft of grass or a bunch of weeds. It is com- 
posed of dry grasses, horse hair and fine roots ; eggs, four or five, white 
with reddish-brown spots, .72 length by .61 breadth. 
The Yellow-winged Sparrow, during its residence with us, feeds prin- 
cipally on different kinds of insect life ; the small seeds of various plants, 
grasses and weeds are also taken. Beetles, grasshoppers, flies, earth- 
worms, etc., are eaten in large numbers ; the young, when in charge of 
the parents, are fed chiefly on spiders and larvae. 
