Page:Ornithological biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America, vol 2.djvu/266

230 one summer, the amount of individuals pi-oduced being fifteen. The young run after their parents, leaving the nest before they can fly, and are left to shift for themselves ere they are fully fledged ; but as they find every where abundance of insects, berries, and small seeds, they contrive to get on without help,

These birds are fond of orchards, enter our country towns in autumn, alight on the tallest trees in open woods, and migrate solely by day. Their flight is rapid, even, and occasionally sustained ; for, when fairly alarmed, they move at once over fields of considerable extent. I saw few in Maine, and none in the British provinces, in Labrador or in Newfoundland.

The colour of the bill varies with the seasons, being in winter of a dingy reddish-brown, and in summer assuming a tint approaching to orange. There is no perceptible difl'erence in the size or colour of the sexes. The young acquire their full plumage the first autumn.

Travelling from Great Egg Harbour towards Philadelphia, I found a nest of this species placed at the foot of a bush growing in almost pure sand. Near it were the plants which you see accompanying the figure.

Fringilla pusilla, Ch. Bonaparte, Sjnops. of Birds of the United States, p. 110.

Field Sparrow, Fringilla pusilla, Wik. Amer. Ornitli. vol. ii. p. 121. pi. IG. fig. 2.

Field or Rush Sparrow, Fringilla juncorum, Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 499. Adult Male, Plate CXXXIX.

Bill short, rather small, strong, conical, acute ; upper mandible rather narrower than the lower, very slightly declinate at the tip, rounded on the sides, as is the lower, which has the edges inflected and acute ; the gap- line very slightly arched, slightly deflected at the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, partially concealed by the feathers. The general form rather robust. Legs of moderate length, slender; tarsus longer than the middle toe, covered anteriorly with a few longish scutella ; toes scutellate above, free, the lateral ones nearly equal ; claws slender, slightly arched, that of the hind toe scarcely larger, much compressed, acute.

Plumage soft, blended, rather compact on the back; wings shortish, curved, rounded, the third quill longest, the second and fourth scarcely shorter ; tail long, emarginate.

This species, in size and general appearance, is very closely allied to the Chipping Sparrow (see p. 21. of the present volume.)