1254 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 part 3 



water which surrounded the mound. The foundation material was largely moss, 

 with a few leaves, slender weed stalks, and grasses; the lining was entirely of 

 grass. The cup was 1% inches deep and 2% inches in diameter, as measured in 

 the field. The walls were rather thin, for the moss into which the nest was built 

 was very deep and soft. The eggs were sheltered from above by a few sprigs 

 of Narrow-leaved Labrador Tea which were then in bud. The male bird was 

 not seen. The clump of trees where this nest was found was in the forest about 

 two miles back from the edge of the Barren Grounds; the woods were open, how- 

 ever, and the mossy, grassy spaces between the patches of trees had much the 

 appearance of tundra. 



During the next 3 weeks they found nine additional nests which 

 they describe as follows: "The nests were built chiefly of grass, 

 with a lining of finer grass (no hair, feathers, or plant down of any 

 sort) and were situated usually in mossy hummocks among the 

 stunted spruce trees, often on a small 'island,' under some sort of low 

 shrub, and on a sheltered, southern exposure." 



Frank L. Farley of Camrose, Alberta, who led the Canadian party 

 and spent many subsequent summers in the Churchill region recorded 

 similar observations. Quoting from a letter he wrote to Mr. Bent in 

 July 1937: 



"I found three good sets of Harris sparrows and got onto some of 

 their secrets. I had formerly searched in the woods for their nests, 

 but this year learned that they invariably nest in open growths, but 

 always near enough a good-sized spruce tree so as to use it as a look- 

 out for intruders. On the tops, or in the tops of these, they peer 

 out at you as you approach, always thinking they are entirely hidden 

 in the branches. We found the 3 nests all within 100 feet of good- 

 sized lakes and all nests were under dwarf trees, one under a small 

 tamarack 2 feet high, the second under a little spruce 2 feet high, and 

 the third under a pretty little arctic willow shrub, not more than 2 

 feet high. We found one of the nests nearly a mile from any fair 

 sized spruce woods. If one can find both birds, neither on the nest, 

 it is a good bet that if one watches long enough you will see the bird 

 drop to the ground from its look-out spruce, and then after waiting 

 for 10 minutes, you may be able to flush it within 100 feet of the tree. 

 The birds flush at very close quarters; my three all left hurriedly 

 when I approached within 3 feet of the nests. The nest is always 

 sunken into the ground and is bulky, made of coarse rootlets and last 

 year's heavy grass stems for an outer covering, lined with fine grasses. 

 I have never seen a feather used as lining as the Lapland Longspur 

 and Horned Larks do. In some of the nests small pieces of moss 

 are placed in the outer lining. After the birds know that the nest 

 has been found, they both disappear not to return while you are near. 

 They are the most secretive of any of the small birds I know and do 

 not like the presence of humans near their summer homes." 



