TWENTY-SIX COMMON BIRDS. 
*7 
SONG SPARROW* 22* 
[melospiza fasciata.] 
In all open country, but particularly where water and bushes 
abound, this sparrow builds its humble nest, and sings its lively 
song. It is one of the first to welcome spring, reaching New Eng¬ 
land in March, and mounting to the top of a bush or small tree, to 
repeat with astonishing persistence its simple but welcome song. 
It feeds on the ground, gathering the seeds of weeds and grasses, 
rarely venturing far from cover, in which it hides with the skill of 
the mouse. In winter, brush heaps or the tangled grass of swamps 
shelter a few Song Sparrows in southern New England, but the 
bulk of the family retire to the Middle States. The nest is built 
in April, and is generally placed in some tuft of grass or hollow on 
the ground, less often in a small tree. The eggs, four or five in 
number, are greenish white, varying greatly in their markings, 
which range from brown to reddish, and lavender to puiple. Two 
broods are raised. The sexes are alike, and the young resemble 
the adult. This is the common Sparrow whose breast is streaked, 
as the Chipping Sparrow is the common ashy-breasted Sparrow. 
The Song Sparrow may be known by his nervous flight, in which 
the long tail is constantly jerked, and by his, shyness, which 
prompts him on the least alarm to retreat into cover. Beside the 
song, which varies very greatly with individuals and even with the 
same bird, the Song Sparrow has an alarm note, chuck , and a 
call note, cheep. 
SCARLET TANAGER* 12* 
[PIRANGA ERYTHROMELAS.] 
This handsome bird is commoner than is generally supposed. 
Its summer is spent in the leafy tops of oak forests, and its some¬ 
what sluggish disposition aids in keeping it from our observa¬ 
tion. The guttural call, t sc hip, tschurr , used by both sexes is often 
the only thing that calls attention to it, or to its plainer colored 
