SWAMP SPARROW
584. Melospiza georgiana. 5¾ inches
Forehead black; crown chestnut with a gray median stripe; whole upper parts very dark; under parts grayish with brown sides.
A very quiet and unobtrusive species that dwells, as its name implies, chiefly in swamps. They creep about under the rank weeds and underbrush like so many mice; they are especially fond of the soft mires where walking is so difficult for human beings; they patter around on the soft mud with evident enjoyment, occasionally walking across an open space of water on what floating débris they may find available.
Song.—A feeble chant; call, a sharp metallic cheep.
Nest.—Of grasses, on the ground in damp places; four or five eggs, having a pale greenish-blue color heavily blotched and clouded with shades of brown (.80 × .55).
Range.—N. A. east of the Plains, breeding from New Jersey and Missouri north to Labrador and Hudson Bay; winters in southern half of the U. S.
