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Song Sparrow

Go where you will, throughout the length and breadth of our land and still you will find Song Sparrows. In the deserts of southwestern United States is a very pale colored race that matches perfectly the soil and surroundings. In northwestern United States and British Columbia is a very dark Song Sparrow, in fact all the birds from that region are darker than the same species are from other sections of the country. In Alaska is a very large Song Sparrow, -a veritable giant when compared to our eastern one.

Everywhere you will find that the habits of these birds are practically alike and their songs are nearly enough like those of our common eastern bird to be easily recognized. The song of the Song Sparrow has been set to a good. many words; the one that always most appealed to me is the "Molly, put the teakettle-ettle-ettle on and we'll all take tea-ee-ee"; words that do not mean much on paper, but easily fit in place when you are listening to the song as rendered by the bird. These birds are not at all particular in regard to their nesting sites. Usually they conceal their homes in thick clumps of grass or weeds, or in bushes not far from the ground, but I have found them in fields where there was not a spear of grass to offer shade and on ledges that were almost bare.

Although Song Sparrows are among our most common birds and their nests are very easy to find, I have made but very few pictures of them, chiefly because I have always had other nests to occupy what time I had at my disposal. On a number of occasions when I have been without a camera I have found individual birds that were exceedingly tame, in fact I have had several alight on my hand to feed little birds that I was holding. Others have allowed me to stroke them on the back as they were sitting on their nests, but of course such instances are unusual, for Song Sparrows usually chirp and scold vigorously if anyone comes near their home.