366 
YELLOW- WINGED SPARROW. 
fences and tops of low bushes. Its nest is fixed on the ground 
among the grass ; is formed of loose dry grass, and lined with 
hair and fibrous roots of plants. The eggs are five, of a 
grayish white sprinkled with brown. On the first of August 
I found the female sitting. 
I cannot say what extent of range this species has, having 
never met with it in the southern states ; though I have no 
doubt that it winters there, with many others of its tribe. It 
is the scarcest of all our summer Sparrows. Its food consists 
principally of grass seeds, and the larvae of insects, which it is 
almost continually in search of among the loose soil and on 
the surface ; consequently it is more useful to the farmer than 
otherwise. 
The length of this species is five inches ; extent, eight inches ; 
upper part of the head, blackish, divided by a slight line of 
white ; hind head and neck above, marked with short lateral 
touches of black and white ; a line of yellow extends from 
above the eye to the nostril ; cheeks, plain brownish white ; 
back, streaked with black, brown, and pale ash ; shoulders of 
the wings, above and below, and lesser coverts, olive yellow ; 
greater wing-coverts, black, edged with pale ash ; primaries, 
light drab ; tail, the same, the feathers rather pointed at the 
ends, the outer ones white ; breast, plain yellowish white, or 
pale ochre, which distinguishes it from the Savannah Sparrow, 
(Plate XXII. Fig. 3. ;) belly and vent, white ; three or four 
slight touches of dusky at the sides of the breast ; legs, flesh 
colour ; bill, dusky above, pale bluish white below. The male 
and female are nearly alike in colour. 
