Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-22
AMERICAN sPARRows.
Far Superior to tho English Birds in
Every Way.


AMERICAN sPARROws.
Far superior to tho English Birds in
Every Way.
J. n. Langvilie In the Baltimore sun.
But fow Of our citizens are aware OF the
our native sparrows. Similar for the most
part In color, Of limited range In
size, and more or less terrestrial In habit,
they are Sefndikcriminntely classed NJ ground
birds, very few taking the pains 10 note
the characters Of the different species.
useful Of birds, and are. NO strongly in.
clined TO associate with man AZ 70
have become almost iuseparable from tho
labors Of his hands. Though thick billed,
seed eating birds--genuine Jripgtttodde--
tho native sparrOws do not attack the grain
ing the seeds of weeds. In this they are
very unlike that pernicious iDterloper, the
EngliAh sparrow. The most Indifferent OBJ
server must have noticed that our sparrows
are voracious insect eaters, especially in
tho breeding season. They are also very
FREQ from pugnacious habits, and are, In
many instances, charming songsters.
Most noticeable In this respect is the song
sparrow. About the average sparrow size,
q fair representative Of that peculiar color
aud marking common 10 all the sparrows
and difficult to represent In art. II may be
long brown tail, dark spot on the middle of
the breast, but particularly by the dark
streaks from the base of the bill down the
cheeks and neck.
Tho tide of migration appears in
February, and then occurs the first really
awakening bird song OF the year. In fields
ana pastures ana around the dwellings,, 1t
greets one everywhere; when the morning
sun ON the clear crisp snow Is no clear and
bright that 1t almost seems like diffused
lightning, when the benumbing chill, SO
peculiar to the melting Of Ice and snow,
throws universal gloom over the
beclouded landscape, or, when a rain IL
falling barely above the freezing point. one
may hear the loud, lOngdrawn or twitter-
ing notes OF this happy bird, making one
conscious Of the near approach of the
magnificent evolutions of spring.
The song sparrow is remarkably prolific.
Generally on the ground, or In hedge,
the nests may be found from some time In
April till September. All in all, this Is the
| most interesting sparrow on the continent.
Next In point Of interest perhaps IL the
| grasshnch, baywinged or vesper sparrow.
1t II sparrow -colored, 1t may he differen-
| tiated with white feathers on tho sides of
it's tall. 1t is particularly bird of the
| grassy fields and pastures. AS you take
| your walk In such localities II Is constantly
flying up from almost under foot and
alighting on the fence or In "a bush, show
ing tho white feathers in its tail as 1t checks s
itself in alighting. Its nest IL on the
eggs, In addition to the ordinary brown
specks are scratched and scrolled with
black as II done by coarse pen.
This species Is an interesting songster,
| discovering quite conformity to the dia-
| tonic scale in its melodies. II may be
heard at any time during the day, but its
favorite hour is between sunset and dark.
Hence, It's appropriate name, vesper spar
row. Without any nlischievous trait what
ever, this bird Is wholly useful.
'fhe field or bush sparrow, the smallest
of the group, quito inclined to retire to the
bushy pasture or the thicket along the
border Of the forest, II may escape notice
but the least attentive ear, at all trained t.
| bird music, must note its song. mellow
| plaintive prolonged musical twitter, slower
at first, but In quite rapid strokes toward
tho last, 1t has most sedative effec. on the
thoughtful listener Tho species Is espe
cially insectivorous, and merit kindly
In our locality the most common field
bird of this group Is the yollow- winged
| sparrow, its common name being ocea
stoned by tho yellow streak around The
shoulder OF the wing. The bird IL small
| plain drab-breasted, the light shading ol
the sparrow-marking being rather ochrous
IL fiies low, with rapid tremulous beat o
| It's short, round wings, and alights on low
bushes, tall weeds and stout grasses. Its
song is by no means striking. Beginning
with faint warble IL continues and ends
| In sound more like the shrilling of in
sects than any bird melody. This, probably
has given rise to one OF its names--grass-
| hopper sparrow.
| The chipping sparrow, or chippy, is dis.
tinguishable by tho chestnut brown on the
top Of his head, by his plain drab breast
ana by his peculiar chippy note, as well Al
-fNsi N m,
affords the first bird song to be heard at The
| dawn of day. This peculiar little song may
also be heard occasionally at all hours d
night. The nest of this species is mt once
strongly characterized and interesting
| Placed IN bush or in atree, composed out
side OF grasses, weeds and rootlets, 1t ha,
q thick and well compacted lining of hair
| very frequently the most, dropping on
| the ground, loses its outside frame work
OF grasses, then appears as ii made entirely
OF hair. No other bird with us uses so much
| hair In the nest. So It is sometimes called
the hair bird. Its dainty blue eggs are
speckled and brown. Its inclination Il
| come around the house make 1t sort o
family acquaintance. Its scientific name
| spisettd socidiis, therefore, very properly
designates 1t as the little social finch or
| sparrow. This species is in no sense inju
| rious, but most useful ally against the
insect world.
The savanna sparrow, though scarcely
more than bird of passage with us, is one
OF the most abundant of the sparrows fur.
ther North. Not much larger than the
yellow-winged sparrow, 1t is distinguished
by the yellow streak over the eve and the
yellow tinge on the cheek.
The white-throated and with-crowned
sparrows, and large and beautiful speci
mems pass us as migrants In the spring and
iail, both species remain with us in small
nnmsers during the winter in sheltered
places.
The large and beautiful fox sparrow also
remains with us in small numbers during
the winter, but Is common as a migrant
very early in spring and late In the fall.
Common to many parts of the Southern
aud Middle states is the beautiful, black.
throated bunting.
Thus 1t will be seen that our country
ahounds in beautiful and interesting
sparrows, useful from every point of view
and that we do not need the pugnacious
noisy, filthy, destructive English sparrow
Double Dose Desired.
From the Buffalo Commercial.
While travelling in Virginia some time