t, for I also made excursions out
upon the prairies of Kansas, over into the state of Missouri, and down
into Oklahoma; and everywhere I carried my field glass with me and kept
both eyes intent on the birds. You would expect an enthusiast in the
pursuit of bird lore to do nothing else. What a pleasure it was to
ramble about in new fields and make acquaintance with new bird friends!
There is not a very marked difference between the avifauna of eastern
Kansas and Ohio, and yet there are some birds found in the former state
that are not met with in the latter--enough to keep the observer on the
tiptoe of expectancy for several months.

One of my new acquaintances was a little bird which is known as the
clay-colored sparrow. It belongs to the same genus (_Spizella_) as the
chipping and field sparrows which are so well known in the East; but it
has an individuality of its own, and is not merely a copy. I stumbled
upon it while pursuing my explorations near Peabody, far out on the
level prairie, where the species was abundant during the season of
migration. As I was sauntering along a road, a peculiar croaking
little trill greeted me from the hedge, sounding very much like the
rasping call of certain kinds of grasshoppers when they are suddenly
startled and take to wing. But no insect had ever emitted quite such a
sound in my hearing. This could not be an insect. It was worth while
to look and make sure of the identity of the odd musician.

After some difficulty, I fixed my glass upon a number of little
sparrows about the size of the chippies. They bore a close resemblance
to that species too, save that the crown-piece and the general tone of
the back were decidedly darker, while the under parts were a good deal
whiter. The clear, ash-colored cervical interval between the crown and
the back and the distinct brown loral and auricular space told me
plainly who the little charmers were. Not at the moment, however, for
the birds were new to me, and I had to wait until I could consult my
manual before I was able to decide that they were the clay-colored
sparrows.

Their song is an odd vocal performance--a low, croaking trill, preceded
by a few longer notes, all delivered in the same key. It is, in fact,
a contralto solo divided into brief stanzas, and easily might be
mistaken for the grating buzz of an insect, especially if heard at a
distance of a few rods. It possesses little or no musical quality, and
is perhaps