What Bird is That? Part 22

_Range._ Southeastern United States from central Georgia to Virginia and from northwestern Florida to central Illinois; winters from North Carolina to northern Florida.

Where 'scrub' oaks grow beneath the pines, or post, or white oaks form open woods, there one may look for this rather retiring, sweet-voiced Sparrow. If one can imagine a Hermit Thrush singing the Field Sparrow's chant, he will have some conception of the rare quality of Bachman's Sparrow's song. The nest is built on the ground, the white unmarked eggs being laid early in May.

The Pine Woods Sparrow (_P. ae. aestivalis_), is a darker race, more streaked above with black. It is resident in Florida (except the northwestern part) and southern Georgia where it frequents pine forests undergrown with scrub palmetto.

SONG SPARROW

_Melospiza melodia melodia. Case 2, Fig. 34; Case 4, Fig. 42_

Streaked below, with a conspicuous spot in the center of the breast.

_Range._ Most of North America, the eastern form west to the Rockies, nesting from Virginia and Missouri to Canada and wintering from Illinois and Ma.s.sachusetts to the Gulf.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common P.R., abundant T.V., Mch. and Oct. Ossining, common P.R. Cambridge, very abundant S.R., Mch. 10-Nov. 1; locally common W.V.

N. Ohio, P.R., abundant in summer, common in winter; Glen Ellyn, common S.R. Feb. 12-Nov. 2.

SE. Minn., common S.R., Mch. 16-Nov. 11.

If the so-called 'English' Sparrow is the European Sparrow, the Song Sparrow is the American Sparrow. He is found in every State and from the Valley of Mexico to Alaska. He is abundant, musical, and familiar and probably better known than any other member of his family native to this country. His is one of the first birds' songs to be heard in the spring, and the last in the fall, and when in midsummer, the adults, while molting, are silent, the rambling, formless song of the young may be heard.

Usually the Song Sparrow is found near water and not far from bushes into which he flies when alarmed. Then we hear his characteristic call-note, an impatient _chimp_, _chimp_, unlike that of any other of our Sparrows. The nest is built on the ground and the 4-5 bluish white brown-marked eggs are laid late in April.

LINCOLN'S SPARROW

_Melospiza lincolni lincolni. Case 7, Fig. 15_

A broad band of buff across the streaked breast.

_Range._ Chiefly western United States; in the East, nests from northern New York and northern Minnesota into Canada; winters from Mississippi to Central America; rare east of the Alleghanies.

Was.h.i.+ngton, rare T.V., May 8-21; Sept. 30-Oct. 1.

Ossining, rare T.V., Sept. 29-Oct. 16. Cambridge, not uncommon T.V., May 15-May 25; Sept. 14-Oct.

10. N. Ohio, tolerably common T.V., Apl. 25-May 25. Glen Ellyn, not common T.V., fall records only, Sept. 11-Oct. 9. SE. Minn., common T.V., Apl. 17-; Sept. 10-Oct. 30.

We know the species only as a rare, retiring migrant, frequenting hedgerows, and undergrowth. I have never heard its song while migrating.

SWAMP SPARROW

_Melospiza georgiana. Case 4, Fig. 44; Case 5, Fig. 22_

Note the bright chestnut cap, grayish, unstreaked breast, and reddish brown rump of the summer plumage; in winter, the crown is darker and streaked with black. L. 5.

_Range._ Nests from New Jersey and Illinois to Canada; winters from Nebraska and New Jersey to the Gulf.

Was.h.i.+ngton, very common T.V., Apl. 12-May 19; Sept, 28-Oct. 29; a few winter. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., Apl. 4-Dec. 2; a few winter. Cambridge, abundant S.R., Apl. 12-Nov. 10; a few winter. N. Ohio, common T.V., Mch. 23-May 20. Glen Ellyn, tolerably common T.V., Apl. 2-May 26; Sept. 2-Oct. 24; possibly S.R. SE. Minn., common S.R., Apl. 5-Nov. 18.

The Swamp Sparrow is a Sparrow of the marshes whose _tweet-tweet-tweet_ many times repeated, is a.s.sociated with the music of Marsh Wrens. It nests on the ground in May, laying eggs not unlike those of the Song Sparrow.

FOX SPARROW

_Pa.s.serella iliaca iliaca. Case 4, Fig. 37; Case 5, Fig. 7_

A large, bright, reddish brown Sparrow, which, because of its red-brown tail, and in spite of its stout bill, is sometimes mistaken for the Hermit Thrush. L. 7.

_Range._ Nests in northern Canada; winters from Ohio and Maryland to the Gulf States.

Was.h.i.+ngton, very abundant T.V., Mch. 13-May 11; Oct. 23-Nov. 15: a few winter. Ossining, tolerably common T.V., Mch. 4-Apl. 20; Oct. 14-Nov. 28.

Cambridge, abundant T.V., Mch. 15-Apl. 12; Oct.

20-Nov. 15; occasional in winter. N. Ohio, common T.V., Mch. 12-Apl. 23; Oct. 1-Nov. 16. Glen Ellyn, fairly common T.V., Mch. 11-Apl. 28; Sept. 22-Nov.

8. SE. Minn., common T.V., Mch. 12-; Sept. 17-Nov.

12.

A vigorous scratcher in the undergrowth who, using both feet at once, kicks the leaves out behind him; a master musician among our Sparrows whose loud, clear, joyous notes form one of our most notable bird songs.

We hear it only for a brief time in spring and fall as the birds pa.s.s us on their migration.

TOWHEE

_Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus. Case 4, Figs. 32, 33; Case 6.

Fig. 51_

The female is brown where the male is black; both are unmistakable L. 8.

_Range._ Nests from northern Georgia and central Kansas; winters from Ohio and Potomac Valleys to the Gulf.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common S.R., very common T.V., Apl.

5-Oct. 21; a few winter. Ossining, common S.R., Apl. 21-Oct. 31. Cambridge, common S.R., Apl.

25-Oct. 15. N. Ohio, common S.R., Mch. 10-Oct. 25.

Glen Ellyn, not common, S.R., Mch. 30-Nov. 18, SE.

Minn., common S.R., Apl. 11-Nov. 8.

_Chewink, towhee_, the clear, emphatic, strongly accented call announces the presence of a bird whose colors are as distinctive as its notes. The Towhee feeds on the ground in and near bushy places, but when the desire to sing comes upon him he leaves his lowly haunts and taking a more or less exposed perch, fifteen to twenty feet from the ground, utters his _sweet-bird-sin-n-n-g_, with an earnestness which goes far to atone for his lack of striking musical ability. The nest is built on the ground and the 4-5 white, finely speckled eggs are laid during the first half of May.

The White-eyed Towhee (_P. e. alleni_) of Florida and the coast region north to Charleston, South Carolina, has the eye yellowish instead of red and the white markings are more restricted. Its call is higher than that of the northern bird and its song shorter.

CARDINAL

_Cardinalis cardinalis cardinalis. Case 4, Figs. 34, 35._

The male, with his conspicuous crest and bright colors, can be confused with no other species; the female is much duller and the crest is less prominent but still evident. L. 8.

_Range._ Resident from the Gulf States to southern New York and northern Ohio; rarely found further north.

Was.h.i.+ngton, common P.R.; less common than formerly. Ossining, A.V. Cambridge, irregular but not very infrequent at all seasons. N. Ohio, common P.R. Glen Ellyn, rare S.R. SE. Minn., rare.