SNpW BIRD. 
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snow covers the ground, they become almost half 
domesticated. They collect about the barn, stables, 
and other outhouses, spread over the yard, and even 
round the steps of the door ; not only in the country 
and villages, but in the heart of our large cities ; 
crowding around the threshold early in the morning, 
gleaning up the crumbs ; appearing very lively and 
familiar. They have also recourse, at this severe season, 
when the face of the earth is shut up from them, to the 
seeds of many kinds of weeds that still rise above the 
snow, in corners of fields, and low, sheltered situations, 
along the borders of creeks and fences, where they 
associate with several species of sparrows, particularly 
the four last mentioned. They are, at this time, easily 
caught 'with almost any kind of trap ; are generally fat, 
and, it is said, are excellent eating. 
I cannot but consider this bird as the most numerous 
of its tribe of any within the United States. From the 
northern parts of the district of Maine, to the Ogechee 
river in Georgia, a distance, by the circuitous route in 
which I travelled, of more than 1800 miles, I never 
passed a day, and scarcely a mile, without seeing num- 
bers of these birds, and frequently large flocks of several 
thousands. Other travellers with whom I conversed, 
who had come from Lexington, in Kentucky, through 
Virginia, also declared that they found these birds 
numerous along the whole road. It should be observed, 
that the roadsides are their favourite haunts, where 
many rank weeds that grow along the fences furnish 
them with food, and the road with gravel. In the 
vicinity of places where they were most numerous, I 
observed the small American sparrow hawk, and several 
others of his tribe, watching their opportunity, or 
hovering cautiously around, making an occasional sweep 
among them, and retiring to the bare branches of an 
old cypress, to feed on their victim. In the month of 
April, when the weather begins to be warm, they are 
observed to retreat to the woods, and to prefer the 
shaded sides of hills and thickets ; at which time the 
males warble out a few very low sweet notes, and are 
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