there continue for some time singing their agreeable chant, after which
they dive again into the low bushes, or amongst the rank weeds which
grow wherever a stream is to be found. They feed on grass seeds, some
berries and insects, especially grasshoppers, and now and then pursue
flies on the wing. On the ground their motions are lively. They continue
running about with great nimbleness and activity, and sometimes
cross shallow waters leg-deep. To the eastward, they often frequent
orchards and large gardens, but seldom approach houses.
I have placed a pair of them on a twig of the Huckleberry Bush in
blossom. This species sometimes grows to the height of six or seven
feet, and produces a fine berry in great abundance. Huckleberries of
every sort are picked by women and children, and sold in the eastern
markets in great profusion. They are used for tarts, but in my opinion
are better when eaten fresh.
F R I X G I L L A M E L O D I A , Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 108.
S O N G SPARROW, F R I N G I L L A M E L O D I A , Wilson, Americ. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 125.
PI. xv i. fig. 4.
Adult Male. Plate XXV. Fig. 1.
Bill short, robust, conical, a little bulging, straight, acute; upper
mandible broader, slightly decimate at the tip; gap line a little declinate
at the base. Nostrils basal, roundish, concealed by the frontal feathers.
Feet of moderate length ; tarsus longer than the middle toe ; toes free,
the lateral ones nearly equal; claws compressed, arched, acute.
Plumage rather compact above, soft and blended beneath. Wings
short, rounded, the third and fourth quills longest. Tail longish, even,
the feathers narrow and acute.
Bill deep brown above, bluish beneath. Iris hazel. Feet and claws
pale brown. Upper part of the head reddish-brown, mottled with dark
brown, with a broad line of bluish-grey down the middle. Back grey,
streaked with reddish-brown and dusky. Lower back bluish-grey ; taileoverts
tinged with light brown. Sides of the head bluish-grey ; a broad
line of brown from the eye backwards, and another from the commissure
of the mouth. Under parts white, tinged on the sides with grey,
and posteriorly with reddish-brown, the neck and breast spotted with
dark brown, and the lateral under tail-coverts streaked with the same.
Wings dark brown, the quills margined externally with reddish-brown,
the coverts margined and tipped with whitish. Tail-feathers uniformly
dull brown.
Length 6 inches, extent of wings S i ; bill along the ridge ^, along
the gap i ; tarsus 1, middle toe | , hind toe
Adult Female. Plate XXV. Fig. 2.
The female hardly differs in colour from the male.
T H E H U C K L E - B E R R Y O R B L U E - T A N G L E S .
V A C C I N I U M F R O N D O S U M , Wild. Sp. PI. vol. ii. p. 352. Pursh, Flor. Amer. .vol. i.
p. 2 8 5 . — D E C A N D R I A M O N O G Y N I A , Linn. ERIC^E, JOSS.
Leaves deciduous, ovato-oblong or lanceolate, entire, smooth, glaucous
beneath, resinous ; racemes lax, bracteate ; pedicels long, filiform, bracteolate;
corollas ovato-companulate, with acute laciniae and included
anthers. The flower is white, the calyx green, the berry globular and of
a bluish-black colour. It varies greatly in the form of the leaves, as well
as in stature, sometimes attaining a height of six or seven feet.
Huckle-berries form a portion of the food of many birds, as well as of
various quadrupeds. Of the former, I may mention in particular the
Wild Turkey, several species of Grouse, the Wild Pigeon, the Turtle
Dove, some Loxias, and several Thrushes. Among the latter, the Black
Bear stands pre-eminent, although Raccoons, Foxes, Oppossums, and
others destroy great quantities. When the season is favourable, these
berries are so thickly strewn on the twigs, that they may be gathered in
large quantities, and as they become ripe, numerous parties resort to the
grounds in which they are found, by way of frolicking, and spend the
time in a very agreeable manner.