384 
Our Winter Birds, 
But Junco is not always taken by 
surprise and kicked from the stage in 
this inglorious fashion. Although the 
smaller bird, he is occasionally victori¬ 
ous. 
I would not have it understood that 
these small actors are entirely given to 
theatricals ; there are times when they 
are quiet and orderly, and seem to be en¬ 
joying each other’s society. 
My favorite among them all is Spi- 
zella monticola. He comes to us to¬ 
ward the end of October, and remains 
until April. The crown of his head is 
a bright chestnut, and upon his shoul¬ 
ders are chestnut epaulets; his breast 
is a soft ashy color with a dai’k blotch 
in the centre; the back of his coat is 
streaked with black, chestnut, and flax¬ 
en, and two conspicuous white cross-bars 
are on his wings. He is the handsomest 
member of the genus, and considerably 
larger than the little chipping sparrow 
{Spizella socialis), that is always about 
our doors in summer, but goes South to 
winter. 
Although Spizella monticola flock to¬ 
gether in considerable numbers, yet they 
keep the family relation as strictly as 
the bluebirds, generally in groups of 
four or six, which indicates that the par¬ 
ents rear but one brood in a season, or, 
if more, each brood keeps by itself. The 
birds comprising these groups do not 
quarrel, but are so closely attached that 
one cannot fly away without the others 
following. The actors in the quarrels 
and trials of strength are made up of 
birds from different groups,—strangers 
trying for the championship. This spe¬ 
cies does not go through with many pre¬ 
liminaries before the final act. They 
commence chattering, and clinch at once. 
Up, up, they go, high in the air, striking, 
railing at each other as they ascend, un¬ 
til one is victorious. 
The English sparrow merits notice, 
although I must confess he is not a fa¬ 
vorite with me. He is not so graceful 
or beautiful as our indigenous species; 
[March, 
still I do not wish to be unjust towai’d 
him. I have uniformly found him to be 
the least quarrelsome of any bird that 
comes about the ^rounds. I have never 
O 
seen him agcrressive toward our own 
species, even when mixing thickly with 
them. He usually prefers to remain 
about the barn and stable, where an 
abundance of food is scattered for the 
fowls and pigeons, but occasionally 
quite a flock comes and mingles with our 
native species beneath my window, and 
here I can watch them at my leisure. 
Our indigenous birds know better than 
to attack him, for he is stronger and 
more heavily built than they are. 
Only once since my observations com¬ 
menced have I seen anything like a 
quarrel between the English sparrow 
and our native species, and in this in¬ 
stance the aggressor was the champion 
Junco, who was ruler over his own 
ti'ibe, and had also whipped many white- 
throats and song sparrows. 
A little group of English sparrows 
was quietly feeding beneath the win¬ 
dow. Junco struts around them, and 
chatters; but they pay no attention, not 
even deigning to look at him. Failing 
in his attempts to elicit any notice, he 
flits to the window-sill, and looks down 
upon them. Finally he seems to sin¬ 
gle out one which has wandered a little 
apart from the rest, and in a twinkling 
he strikes him broadside, throwing him 
off his feet, and then flies several yards 
away. The English sparrow is on his 
feet in an instant, slowly turning his 
head all around in evident amazement, 
but is soon eating again. Junco does 
not renew the attack, but mingles with 
his kind, picking up seeds. The Eng¬ 
lish sparrow, however, has his eye upon 
him, and now Junco has to keep at a 
safe distance. 
The summer yellow-bird also mixes 
freely with the various sparrows. This 
charming little creature looks so differ¬ 
ent in his plain gray winter coat, which 
he puts on in September and wears 
