1512 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part 3 



Nova Scotia: 60 records, April 20 to August 6; 30 records, May 24 

 to June 25. 



Ontario: 140 records, April 28 to August 3; 72 records, May 21 

 to June 20. 



Oregon: 80 records, April 7 to July 15; 36 records, May 1 to May 22; 

 32 records, May 25 to June 29. 



Washington: 82 records, April 5 to July 14; 32 records, April 5 to 

 April 19; 30 records, May 2 to May 29. 



MELOSPIZA MELODIA ATLANTICA Todd 

 Atlantic Song Sparrow 



PLATE 75 



Contributed by Val Nolan Jr. 



Habits 



This race breeds on the ocean beaches and barrier islands of the 

 central Atlantic states and shifts its range only a little southward in 

 winter. Wi truer Stone (1937) writes that on Cape May, N.J., the 

 bird inhabits "possibly the inner edges of the salt marshes" as well as 

 the coast islands, and other writers have found atlantica in or near salt 

 marshes. Stone proceeds to give the following interesting ecological 

 information about this race and melodia: "To illustrate how environ- 

 ment affects the distribution of these birds it may be mentioned that a 

 series of breeding Song Sparrows collected in 1891 on the edge of the 

 old Cape Island Sound and on the salt meadows that formerly existed 

 southwest of Cape May are all typical of the Atlantic Song 

 Sparrow * * *. Since * * * the meadows [were filled and] replaced 

 by dry ground with thickets of bayberry, etc., the common Eastern 

 Song Sparrows of the interior have spread out and occupied the area." 



"[M. atlantica is] rarely, if ever, found far from salt water. It nests 

 in myrtle thickets and in willows at the edge of the salt marsh, obtain- 

 ing much of its food in the marsh itself, somewhat in the manner of 

 the Seaside Sparrow" (Burleigh, 1958). Alexander Sprunt, Jr. wrote 

 Mr. Bent that "the nest of atlantica resembles that of melodia in 

 construction, being made of grasses at low elevations, but always in or 

 near tide water. The eggs are practically indistinguishable from those 

 of melodia." The measurements of 40 eggs average 19.6 by 15.4 milli- 

 meters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 21.6 by 15.5, 

 20.1 by 16.8, and 17.8 by 14-2 millimeters. 



The voice is similar to that of melodia, according to Sprunt, but 

 Murray (1941) found the song distinguishable "by a buzzing quality, 

 definitely reminiscent of the song of the Bewick's Wren." 



