CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 505 



m3^self on the west slope of Duck mountain to the north of the 

 province. {E. T. Seton.) Rare at Aweme, Man., but probably 

 breeds. (Criddle.) Noted occasionally about Portage la Prairie* 

 Man., and about the larger marshes in Manitoba but more numerous 

 in the alkali districts of the west. Noted breeding in 1906 from 

 Touchwood hills, Sask. to Beaver Hill lake, Alta. (Atkinson.) 

 In June, 1896, this species was breeding in a marsh at Sewell, Man. 

 (Macoun.) First seen at Indian Head, Sask., May 12th, 1892, 

 next seen June 23rd, when two nests were found ; each nest contained 

 five eggs; nest made of dried grass under a tuft on the ground; 

 breeding in wet ground ; common on Bragg creek, about 40 miles 

 from Calgary, June 28th, 1897. (Spreadborough.) The Calgary 

 reference above should probably go to the Nelson sparrow. 



Breeding Notes. — On June 23rd, 1892, I found two nests of 

 this species. Each nest contained five eggs. The nest was placed 

 in old grass close to the ground, and was made of the same. The 

 land was low but not wet. The female was shot as she left the 

 nest. (Spreadborough.) In June, 1893, Mr. G. F. Dippie and 

 myself were fortunate in discovering the nest and eggs of this species 

 which were previously little known ; this was at Raeburn, Man. 

 Since then I have found several more nests of Leconte's sparrow in 

 Manitoba and Saskatchewan, all were made of fine dry grass and 

 nothing else and were invariably built in a tuft of marsh hay a few 

 inches above the ground. The eggs are greenish- white speckled at 

 the largest end with ashy-brown and are small, .65 x .50 inches. 

 (W. Raine.) On June 12th, 1896, the writer was collecting in a 

 swamp south of Sewell, on the Canadian Pacific railway and came 

 on the nest of a bird new to him. The following is from his note- 

 book and evidently refers to this species. "In the open swamp I 

 found another nest in the grass, almost touching the water which 

 here was standing in the grass and was evidently permanent as 

 Menyanthes trifoliata and Calla palustris grew close by. When the 

 bird arose I thought it was a clay-coloured sparrow, but on looking 

 into the nest saw four eggs about the same size as the sparrow's 

 but the large end was completely covered with a deep shade of 

 brown which shaded off into a lighter colour and became mottled 

 with a lightish-green. Three eggs were as above, but one was much 

 lighter in colour and hence more distinctly mottled. They were 

 much incubated and were injured in blowing. I refer the eggs to 

 Leconte's sparrow. 



