FIELD OR RUSH SPARROW. 
499 
rustling before the cheerless blast ; and finally, as their 
food fails, and the first snows begin to appear, advertis- 
ed of the threatening famine, they disappear and winter 
in the Southern States. In the month of January, in 
Georgia, during the continuance of the cool weather, and 
frosty nights, I frequently heard, at dusk, a confused 
chirping or piping, like that of frogs, and, at length, dis- 
covered the noise to proceed from dense flocks of the 
Chipping Sparrows, roosting or huddling near together in 
a pile of thick brush ; where, with the Song-Sparrow, 
also, they find means to pass the cool nights. 
This species is about 5 to 5J inches in length, and 8 in alar extent. 
The frontlet is nearly black ; chin and line over the eye whitish ; 
crown chesnut ; the breast and sides of the neck pale ash ; rump 
dark cinereous ; belly and vent white. Back varied with brownish- 
black and bay. Wings dusky, broadly edged with bright chesnut. 
Tail dusky, forked, edged with yellowish- white. Bill in winter 
black, in summer the lower mandible is flesh-colored. Legs and 
feet pale flesh-color, tarsus § of an inch. — The female has less 
black on the frontlet, and the bay duller. 
FIELD or RUSH SPARROW. 
( Fringilla juncorum , Nobis. Sylvia juncorum , Lath. ii. p. 511. 
Little Brown Sparrow, Catesby, Car. i. p. 35. F. pusilla , Wil- 
son, ii. p. 121. pi. 16. fig 2. Phil. Museum, No. 6560.) 
Sp. Charact. — The 1st primary shorter than the 6th ; crown ches- 
nut; body above varied with bay, drab, and a little dusky; 
cheeks, throat, and breast, pale brownish drab ; bill and slender 
legs, brownish cinnamon-color, the latter paler ; hind nail as 
long as the toe. 
This small species, in size and general color, is scarcely 
distinguishable from the Chipping Sparrow ; it is how- 
ever much brighter, inclining more to bay above, and 
the tail is about half an inch longer in relative propor- 
tion. 
