ACADIAN SHARP-TAILED SPARROW 791 



patens and was entered and left by a narrow passage parallel with the 

 direction of the culms of that grass. It was suspended by the sides 

 from the culms of the 'thatch,' Spartina alternijlora, with its bottom 

 about two centimeters above the wet soggy ground." This nest 

 externally measured SO mm. deep, 100 mm. long, and 90 mm. wide. 

 It was constructed of blades of S. alternifiora and culms of S. patens 

 and lined with fine blades of S. patens;, 



H. F. Lewis (1920) describes a nest found at Yarmouth, Nova 

 Scotia: 



The nest proper was a neat, round cup of fine, dry grass, with some horsehair 

 in the lining. Its foundation consisted of some small masses of "eel-grass" and 

 roots. Its dimensions were: inside diameter, 2.5 inches; outside diameter, 4.5 

 inches; inside depth, 1.5 inches; ,outs id e depth, 2.375 inches. It was elevated 

 above the general siu-face of the marsh by being placed on the top of a low grassy 

 ridge, about 14 inches high, formed from material thrown up when a ditch was 

 dug across the marsh, manj' 3'ears before. During some storm, a mat of dead 

 "eel-grass" had been left on the top of this ridge, and this had been later lifted by 

 the growing marsh grass, leaving several inches between it and the ground. The 

 nest was placed at the northwest edge of this mat, about half the nest being under 

 it, while the other side was sheltered and concealed by grass about 6 inches high. 

 The nest was not sunk in the ground at all. 



Eggs. — Four to five eggs form the complete set. The appearance of 

 the eggs is identical with those of A. c. caudacuta. The measurements 

 of 40 eggs average 19.7 by 14.9 miiUmetei-s; the eggs showing the four 

 extremes measure 21.1 by 14.9, 20.0 by 15.9, 17.9 by 14.3, and 18.6 

 by 13.6 millimeters. 



Young. — A. H. Norton (1897) states that incubation is performed 

 by the female alone; the length of incubation is not known. Jonathan 

 Dwight {in F. M. Chapman, 189G) and W. La Brie (1931) both com- 

 ment on the absence of anxiety of the adults over the nest and young, 

 and L. M. Terrill {in htt.) thinks that nearby Savannah sparrows 

 showed more concern than the true parents when a sharp-tail's nest 

 was found. Both parents are said to feed the young; this seems 

 unhkely in view of the findings of G. E. Woolfenden (195G) with A. c. 

 caudacmia. 



Plumages. — The pattern of the adult plumage is clearly that of a 

 sharp-tailed sparrow but the colors are paler and grayer and the breast 

 streaking less distinct than in A. c. caudacuta. The molts are the same 

 as in that subspecies. R. R. Graber (pers. comm.) has supplied infor- 

 mation on other plumages as follows: 



"Natal down: The natal down varies from brownish black on the 

 head to mouse gray on the rump. Juvenal plumage: No sexual 

 dimorphism. Crown black, with broad median and supercihary 

 stripes of rich olive-tinged buff. Nape rust-tinged buff, unstreaked. 

 Feathers of back black, broadly edged with rich buff. Rump and 

 upper tail coverts rich buff, obscurely marked with black. Rectrices 



