1/8 The Ottawa Naturalist. [December 



" tsee-leep " repeated at rather long intervals and without any 

 musical tone whatever. A subsequent visit disclosed the author 

 of these notes to be the male, of which several were heard and 

 one secured on June I2th. 



Near Sarnia there has been a small colony of Short-billed 

 Marsh Wrens, and on July 2nd I had from 4 to 7.30 a.m. in 

 which to visit them. Unfortunately their grounds have been 

 ploughed and set in timothy, but what was my surprise to catch 

 the note of the Henslow's Sparrow, here also. The place was 

 thoroughly hunted, and but two males were secured. The 

 females were doubtless on the nests and were not seen. 



At both places, the habits of these birds combined in every 

 way to make them exceedingly inconspicuous and the easiest of 

 all birds to pass by. Their song, if it may be called such, has 

 been described, and no more of it was heard ; the chirp is a weak 

 sparrow-chirp. The bird is small and not very confiding, seldom 

 alights higher than three feet from the ground, on a weed-stalk 

 and when on the ground is usually invisible. What wonder 

 then, that he has been missed ? Nevertheless, after finding it so 

 far apart — nearly 40 miles— I doubt if there are many suitable 

 localities in the western counties where it is not found. 



The Dickcissel and the Orchard Oriole breed commonly 

 there each year ; the Yellow-breasted Chat and Cardinal Red- 

 bird, are to be found by the earnest searcher and the Lark Finch 

 occurs not infrequently ; while at London, only 75 miles east, 

 these birds are only casual, if found at all. 



