his young family to feed themselves after a strenuous nest- 
ing period. Life had been such a continual struggle to fill © 
so many empty cavities, even when friendly hands had 
_ helped to make the problem easier, that his, and her, temper 
had been worn quite thin before they had raised their two 
or three yearly broods. She told of the appearance of the — 
young birds at her table, led there by the proud parents, 
as soon as they were able to fly; of the way they crouched 
and fluttered their awkward little wings, as they teased 
for food, and of the table manners they had to learn. 
She, too, loved the quality of Rusty’s song, and said that 
she thought he sang every month of the year,except perhaps 
September. One bitter day in January, when the snow was 
heavy, she had heard him on Queen Anne Hill, in Seattle, — 
when the sun came out. He had stood on the top stick of a 
brush pile, which was evidently his winter home, and had 
shouted bare ame a “Dear. dear! Old winter’ll soon be 
over!” | 
Many. neon do not know that song sparrows are to be 
found in almost any place in North America. There are a 
ereat many varieties of song sparrows, because the species 
is very plastic, and develops small differences in any locality 
where they are separated from others of their own kind by 
water or high mountains, and are then given new names. 
Wherever they are found they well deserve the pet name > 
that has been given them: “Silver Tongue,” and their song 
is so similar, that after you have once learned its quality, 
- you will recognize it wherever you hear it. Still, one bird 
has been heard to sing nine variations of his theme in seven 
minutes. | 
If you happen to be in the piinne Mountains i in winter, 
or north even as far as Alaska, the common song sparrow 
will be the Sooty Song Sparrow; if west of the Cascade 
Range, north of the Rogue River in Oregon or in Wash- © 
ington, Rusty will charm with his notes; while east of the | 
Cascades, the Merrill Song Sparrow occupies the northwest 
| 7 
