330 BIRDS—FRINGILLIDA. 
Melospiza palustris, WHEATON, Ohio Agiic. Rep. for 1860, 366; Reprint, 1861, 8; Food of 
Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Reprint, 1875, 6.—LAaNGpoNn, Cat. Birds 
ot Cin., 1877, 8; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 176; Reprint, 10. 
Fringilla palustris, WiLsoN, Am. Orn., iii, 1811, 49. 
Melospiza palustris, Baird, Birds N. Am., 1858, 483. 
Crown bright bay, or chestnut, blackening on the furebead, often with an obscure 
median ashy line, and usually streaked with black; cervix, sides of head and neck, 
and the breast, strongly ashy, with vague dark auricular and maxillary markings, 
the latter bounding the whitish chin, the ashy of the breast obsoletely streaky; belly 
whitish; sides, flanks, and crissum strongly shaded with brown, and faintly streaked ; 
back and rump brown, rather darker than the sides, boldly streaked with black and 
pale brown or grayish. Wings so strongly edged with bright bay as to appear almost 
uniformly of this color when viewed closed, but inner secondaries showing black with 
whitish edging; tail likewise strongly edged with bay, and usually showing black shaft 
lines. No yellowish anywhere; no tail feathers white; farther distinguished from its 
allies by the emphasis of the black, bay, and ash. Length, 53-6; wing aad tail 24-2}. 
Habitat, Eastern aud part of Middle Province of North America; north to Newfound- 
land and Labrador; west to Utah; south to Texas. 
Common spring and fall migrant in April and May, October and No- 
vember. Although it is very probably a summer resident in Northern 
Ohio, neither Dr. Kirtland or Mr. Read so state. Mr. Langdon gives it 
as acommon migrant. In the vicinity of Columbus, though common, 
it is very retiring in its habits, especially in spring, frequenting swamp 
woodlands and the weedy banks of small brooks. In the fall it appears 
in the high grass of swamps and low borders of rivers, in companies of 
considerable numbers. It is not, however, entirely confined to wet 
places, for I have found them in upland woods quite distant from water. 
While with us it is very retiring and silent. Occasionally a single chip 
is heard. At its b eeding grounds it is said to sing a pleasing and some- 
what varied song. Its neat and trim form, tasteful colors, happily con- 
trasting bright brown with black and ash, render it one of the handsomest 
of the smaller Sparrows. 
The nest of the Swamp Sparrow is placed upon the ground, under a 
tussock of rank grass, in a low, moist place. The eggs are grayish- or 
bluish-white, so thickly speckled all over with different shades of brown 
as sometimes to conceal the ground color. 
MELosP1zZA MELODIA (Wils.) Bd. 
Sone Sparrow. 
Fringilla melodia, KIRTLAND, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164. 
Fringilla fasciata, READ, Proc. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sci., vi, 1853, 395. 
Melospiza melodia, WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 366; Reprint, 1861, 8; in Coues’ 
Birds of N. W., 1874, 233; Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Re- 
print, 1875, 6.—LANGDON, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 8; Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soe. 
Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 176; Reprint, 10. 
