JAMES BAY SHARP-TAILED SPARROW 815 



subvirgata ou one hand or from nelsoni on the other; even with the 

 specimen in the hand, the diagnosis is difficult and sometunes im- 

 possible, J. A. Hagar was impressed by the extreme bufFy color of 

 the young in juvenal plumage. 



In migration, this bird moves more or less directly north and south. 

 There are numerous records around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and 

 in the Finger Lakes region of New York (see A. c. subvirgata). From 

 here the birds apparently move toward the Atlantic coast rather than 

 down the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, though specimens from the 

 interior should be reexamined. They have been collected on the 

 Atlantic coast from Massachusetts south to their wintering grounds in 

 South Carolina, Georgia, northern Florida, and Alabama. This race 

 has also been collected once in Louisiana (H. C. Oberholser, 1938). 

 There are many more fall than spring records along the northern 

 part of the Atlantic coast. 



Distribution 



Range. — James Bay to coast of South Carolina, Georgia, and 

 Florida. 



Breeding range. — The James Bay sharp-tailed sparrow breeds in 

 marshes bordermg James Bay in northern Ontario (Cape Henrietta 

 Maria) and northern Quebec (Eastmain). 



Winter range. — Winters in coastal marshes from South Carolina 

 (Charleston County) south to eastern Florida (Ft. Pierce) ; casually 

 west to Louisiana (Buras); recorded in migration west to Michigan 

 (Livingston Count}^ and Ohio (Richmond County) and east to 

 Vermont (Clarendon), ]\Iassachusetts (Swampscott, Revere, Scituate), 

 New York (Highland Falls, mouth of Croton River, Westchester 

 County) and Chesapeake Bay, Md. (Cornfield Harbor). 



Egg dates. — Ontario: 2 records, June 25 and July 12. 



AMMOSPIZA CAUDACUTA NELSONI (Allen) 



Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 

 Contributed by Norman P. Hill 



Habits 



Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta nelsoni) was 

 described by J. A. Allen (1875) from specimens collected by E. W. 

 Nelson at Calumet Lake, now Nvithin the boundaries of the city of 

 Chicago, 111. Though the discoverer believed them to be breeding 

 there, this report is unsubstantiated, and the area is far to the south 

 of the known present breeding range, which covei-s a wide area of the 

 prairie provinces from western Alberta, southern Mackenzie, central 

 Saskatchewan and Manitoba to northern North Dakota and north- 



64&-737— 68— pt. 2 15 



