CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 49 1 



end of August ; I should say that certainly two, and probably 

 three, broods are reared, as a rule. The result of all this is that 

 from the end of June until the end of August young birds in every 

 state of plumage, and the parents in various degrees of wear and 

 tear, are all found together. The nest, of course, is placed on the 

 ground, usually beneath some little tuft of grass or weeds, which 

 effectually conceals it. Like that of other ground-building sparrows, 

 it is sunk flush with the surface of the ground, thin at the bottom, 

 but with thicker and tolerably firm brim ; it consists simply of a few 

 grasses and weed-stems for the most part circularly disposed. In 

 size, the cup is about 3^ inches across the brim and nearly 2 in depth. 

 During the first season, I only found four eggs or young in a nest; 

 but I afterward took one containing six eggs. These measure about 

 4 long by f broad, of an ordinary shape. They are difficult to des- 

 cribe as to colour, for the marking is intricate as well as very variable 

 here as elsewhere in the genus. I .have called them "grayish-white", 

 more or less clouded and mottled with pale purpHsh gray which 

 confers the prevailing tone; this is overlaid with numerous surface 

 markings of points, scratches and small spots of dark brown, wholly 

 indeterminate in distribution and number, but always conspicuous, 

 being sharply displayed upon the subdued ground colour. On those 

 occasions when I approached a nest containing eggs, the female 

 usually walked off quietly, after a little flutter, to some distance, and 

 then took wing ; at other times, however, when there were young in 

 the nest, both parents hovered close overhead, with continuous 

 cries. (Coties.) 



CCXIX. RHYNCHOPHA.NES Baird. 1858. 



539. McCown Longspur. 



Rhynchophanes mccowriii (Lawr.) Ridgw. 1877. 



A specimen of this bird was taken just west of Manitoba by Mr. 

 Thorpe near Dalesboro. {E. T. Seton.) This species was never 

 seen in the Red river region and I do not think it occurs on that 

 watershed which is so thickly populated in summer with C. ornatus. 

 It seems to be one of the many birds that mark the natural division 

 between that region and the Missouri basin. The first specimen 

 taken was near Fort Buford. As we progressed towards the Milk 

 river the bird became more and more abundant and it occurred 



