1910] The Ottawa Naturalist. 137 



parison; onlv thus can one appreciate the difference between 

 eggs of Song, White-throated and Swamp Sparrows. All of these 

 might be roughly described as spotted with brown on a hght 

 greenish ground; but on comparison, taking eggs of the Song 

 Sparrow as a type of reddish brown, the others become respec- 

 tively, distinctly brick-red and umber-brown. Of course, eggs 

 of the White-throat are generally, though not invariably, larger 

 than the other two species. Four eggs are usually deposited; 

 less commonly three and five. The foregoing remarks apply for 

 the most part to first layings, as the White-throat rears at least 

 two broods in a season, usually the first in the early part of 

 June and the second in mid-July, though some birds delay until 

 August . 



As the rank growth in the damp woods advances with the 

 summer, the birds seek more open woods and second growths, 

 where they nest in brush heaps and evergreen bushes as well as 

 on the ground. In so doing they simply avoid the uncongenial 

 depth and density of undergrowth similarly as in the sphagnum 

 bogs earlier in the season. The White-throat gives little indica- 

 tion as to the location of its nest ; Hkely you will hear the male 

 sing, but not a note of alarm until you flush the female, when 

 both birds immediately join in an angry outcry. If, however, 

 the nest contains young and the parent is not on the nest, you 

 will Hkely be notified when some distance away. As far as I 

 know the female sparrow alone incubates her eggs; though once 

 on a hot day at noon I flushed two birds from a rather exposed 

 nest. This nest contained newly hatched young and no doubt 

 the parents were endeavoring to protect them from the sun's rays. 

 Leaving the locality and returning several minutes later, I had 

 a good view of both birds covering the nest with outspread 

 wings. 



There is considerable individuality in the mode of leaving 

 the nest; a bird building in bushes will usually slip quietly to 

 the ground and steal away on the far side, eventually flying to a 

 perch overhead, when the alarm note is sounded. In the case of 

 ground-nesting, the bird usually flushes directly from the nest 

 and immediatelv seeks a perch. Occasionally, however, she will 

 slip away as quietly as a mouse and get some divStance from the 

 nest before taking' flight. This method of evacuation is more 

 common when the nest contains young, in which case you are 

 fortunate in seeing the bird before hearing her. In whatever 

 manner the bird may be flushed she will usually seek a perch 

 above ground before giving vent to alarm, this alarm being 

 expressed in a "chip" repeated at intervals, a note much more 

 metallic than that of other resident spairows. 



In late July and early August, whilst many birds are still 



