Part 18

DUSKY SEASIDE SPARROW 551. Passerherbulus nigrescens. 6 inches

Darkest of the Seaside Sparrows. Found only in marshes at head of Indian River, Florida.

LARK SPARROW 552. Chondestes grammacus. 6¼ inches

These handsome Sparrows are very abundant in the Mississippi Valley; their favorite resorts are fields, pastures, and prairie lands, or along dusty roadsides. Their song is one of the sweetest of any of the Sparrows, and is freely given throughout the summer.

Song.—A hurried gush of silvery tremulous notes.

Nest.—Sometimes in bushes but usually on the ground; of grasses arranged in a hollow to form a little cup, and usually concealed under a tuft of grass or bunch of clover. The birds usually run some distance from the nest before flying, so that they are quite hard to find. They lay three to five eggs, white, specked and scrawled sparingly with blackish (.80 × .60), wholly different from those of any other Sparrow.

Range.—Mississippi Valley, breeding from Texas to Manitoba; winters in southern U. S. and Mexico.

Sub-Species.—552a. Western Lark Sparrow (strigatus) is slightly paler and less heavily marked; found from the Plains to the Pacific.

HARRIS SPARROW 553. Zonotrichia querula. 7½ inches

Adults in summer with the crown face, and throat black; in winter with the black areas mottled with gray.

This species is one of the largest of the Sparrows. It is found abundantly on the prairies during migrations, but about nesting time they all seem to disappear and no one has, as yet, been able to locate their exact breeding range. It is supposed to be among some of the foothills of North Dakota and northward through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as they have been found during the summer in all these localities. Nests supposed to belong to this species have been found, but they lack positive identification.

Song.—A series of musical, piping whistles.

Nest.—Supposed to be of grass and bark, a few inches above the ground in weed stalks or small shrubs; eggs whitish, thickly spotted with brown (.95 × .65).

Range.—Interior U. S. from Texas (in winter) north through the Plains and Mississippi to Manitoba.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW 554. Zonotrichia leucophrys. 7 inches

Adults with a white crown bordered by black, the black covering the lores or space before the eye (the sub-species found west of the Rockies have the lores white).

We know these birds in the U. S., except in mountain ranges or in the extreme northern parts, only as migrants, they then being found in brushy woodlots or along roadsides. In the north they are found in deeply wooded ravines and on side hills. While with us they rarely if ever sing, but in their summer home they have a clear tinkling song like that of the White-throated Sparrow, with which we see them associated here.

Song.—A clear, sweet, piping “see-dee-dee-dee-de-e”; call note, a sharp chip.

Nest.—Usually on the ground under patches of brush or bushes. The four or five eggs are whitish profusely spotted with brown (.90 × .63).

Range.—N. A., breeding from northern U. S. northward and in high ranges south to Mexico.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 558. Zonotrichia albicollis. 6¾ inches

In thick underbrush we hear these birds scratching about among the leaves; occasionally one of them will hop up on a twig and give his clear peabody song, or, hearing or seeing you, give a sharp chirp and dash out of sight again. They are birds of the ground, always busy and always happy. I think that without any exception, they are the handsomest of our Sparrows, their colors are so rich and harmonize and blend together so well.

Song.—A high-pitched, very clear and sweet whistle, “pea-bo-dy-bird.” Call and note of alarm, a metallic chirp.

Nest.—Usually on the ground on the borders of woods or in swamps; of grass and leaves, similar to, but larger than, that of the Song Sparrow. Four or five eggs, pale greenish blue, thickly spotted with brown (.85 × .63).

Range.—N. A. east of the Rockies, breeding from northern U. S. to Labrador and Hudson Ray; winters in the southern half of U. S.

TREE SPARROW 559. Spizella monticola. 6¼ inches

A blackish-brown spot in middle of breast; crown reddish brown with no black about the head; back and wings with considerable brown.

These Sparrows are summer residents of the Arctic region, passing the winter in the northern half of the U. S. They bear considerable resemblance to our common Chipping Sparrow, but are larger and have characteristic markings as noted above. They appear in the U. S. in October and many of them pass the winter in the fields and gardens in our northern states.