CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 621 



from every copse in the partially wooded district. (Brooks.) Found 

 only at Cariboo Crossing, lat. 60°, B.C., where IJieard four males 

 singing and secured three of them, June sytli and 28th, 1899. They 

 were in comparatively open willow and spruce swamps. (Bishop.) 



Breeding Notes. — The birds made their first appearance on 

 the 22nd of May at Carpenter mountain, Cariboo, B.C., and were 

 common the same day. From that day I heard their song in 

 almost every clump of trees. A great number drew off to the 

 northw^ard, but a good many remained. They generally frequented 

 the clumps of aspen trees and Norv/ay pines, where the ground 

 was covered with a thick growth of dry fine grass. As I saw no 

 female nor evidence of nesting I gave the birds three v»^eeks and 

 started out to look for their nests on the 15th June. Luckily I 

 soon found a female off her nest and after an hour's watching, 

 during which time I suffered torments from the mosquitoes, she at 

 last dropped down to her nest. On walking up she fluttered out, 

 and flew off some distance, returning shortly with two others of 

 the same species, when I put her off and shot her. A hundred 

 yards further on I came across another female, probably one of the 

 two that returned with the first one. I took up a good position 

 and waited twenty minutes, when she darted down to the ground 

 and disappeared, I went up and was just going to kill her with my 

 little .38 caliber collecting pistol as she fluttered off, when out of 

 the tail of my eye I saw the nest contained newly hatched young; 

 I found another nest the same day by carefully quartering a likely 

 piece of ground, and found several the next week with young also. 

 The nests were always on the ground, sometimes at the foot of a 

 small service-berry bush or twig. They were all arched over by 

 the dry fine grass of the preceding 'year ; this year's growth having 

 just well commenced. The nest is small and loosely constructed, 

 being quite flat; it is composed outwardly of a few leaves, a little 

 moss and a good deal of fine grass, lined only with the latter ma- 

 terial. The nest was situated on the ground in, and arched over 

 with dry grass, and no bush or twigs were near. (/. Parker N orris, 

 Jr , in The Auk, Vol, XIX, 88.) 



