506 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



549a. Nelson Sparrow. 



Ammodramus nelsoni (Allen) Norton. 1897. 



There are several records for Toronto. Dr. Dwight says the 

 Toronto birds are more nelsoni than subvirgatus, but not typical. 

 (/. H. Fleming.) I took a very fine female on 28th October, 1896, 

 at Toronto, and on the 17th November, Mr. I. Percival Turner 

 took two, a male and female, at the same spot. On the 17th Nov- 

 ember, 1900, I visited the place again and saw two. (/. Hughes- 

 Samuel.) On the 22nd September, 1894, near Toronto, Ont., I 

 shot two individuals of this species; on June loth, 1895, I shot 

 a female and in the autumns of 1896-97-98 I saw many others. (C 

 W. Nash.) 



On my arrival at Winnipeg, Man., Mr. Hine surprised me by 

 producing a specimen of this form, shot at Winnipeg on May 25th, 

 1892. On June 30th, at Carberry, I heard a curious bird-note 

 and going over the slough to the spot, I put up two small dark- 

 coloured sparrows. I obtained one which proved to be this form; 

 later in the day I took two more; the above specimens were sub- 

 mitted to Mr. F. M. Chapman and pronounced true nelsoni. (E. T. 

 Seton.) Found breeding in fair numbers with Leconte's sparrow in 

 grassy marshes near Red Deer, Alta., June, 1906. {W. E. Saunders.) 

 One specimen taken at Prince Albert, Sask., August, 1899. {Co- 

 beaux.) First seen at Edmonton, Alta., late in May, 1897, not 

 common, only observed about a dozen altogether; breeding in wet 

 ground ; a few were found breeding in a marsh at Peace River Land- 

 ing, Alta., June, 1903 and one individual was seen west of the Grande 

 Prairie in August. (Spreadborough.) 



Breeding Notes. — On June 12th, 1893, Mr. Dippie and myself 

 found this bird nesting at Long lake, Man. The nest and eggs I 

 presented to the U. S. National Museum at Washington. On the 

 14th June, 1894, I again visited the locality and was fortunate in 

 finding another nest and four eggs of Nelson's sparrow and the next 

 day I took another set of five eggs. Nests were made of dried grass 

 and built in a tuft of marsh hay a few inches from the ground. Their 

 voice is like that of a grasshopper and they sing until long after sunset. 

 (W. Raine.) 



