NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW 819 



(Charlie Lake), southern Mackenzie (Great Slave Lake), central 

 Saskatchewan (Emma Lake), and central Manitoba (The Pas, 

 Sturgeon Creek) south to southern Alberta (Red Deer, Beaverhill 

 Lake) , southern Saskatchewan (Cypress Lake, Last Mountain Lake) , 

 northwestern and southeastern North Dakota (Towner, Ludden, 

 Hankinson), northeastern South Dakota (Rush Lake), and north- 

 western Minnesota (Kittson and Marshall counties). Recorded in 

 summer in eastern Montana. 



Winter range. — Winters along the Gulf coast from Texas (Corpus 

 Christi, Galveston County) to western Florida (south to Tampa Bay 

 area) ; also on the Atlantic coast from South Carolina (Charleston 

 County) to Florida (south to Merritt's Island) ; in migration to Maine 

 (Cumberland County), Massachusetts (Barnstable), southeastern 

 New York, southern and eastern Maryland (Cornfield Harbor, Ocean 

 City), and eastern Virginia (Cobb Island). 



Casual records. — Casual in Colorado (Gimnison County). Ac- 

 cidental in California (Alilpitas, ]Morro Bay, Alameda and Imperial 

 Counties) and Baja California (Bahia de San Quintin). 



Egg dates. — Alberta: 2 records, June 3 and June 20. 



Manitoba: 5 records, June 12 to June 20. 



AMMOSPIZA MARITIMA MARITIMA (Wilson) 



Northern Seaside Sparrow 



PLATE 45 



Contributed by Glen E. Woolfenden 



Habits 



This dark-colored little salt marsh dweller was discovered by 

 Alexander Wilson, who collected the first known specimens in 1810 

 along the New Jersey shore probably near where Ocean City now 

 stands. He called it the "sea-side finch" and in his description 

 (1811) of it wi-ites: 



Of this bird I can find no description. It inhabits the low rush-covered sea 

 islands along our Atlantic coast, where I first found it; keeping almost continually 

 within the boundaries of tidewater, except when long and violent east or north- 

 easterly storms, with high tides, compel it to seek the shore. On these occasions 

 it courses along the margin, and among the holes and interstices of the weeds 

 and sea-wrack, with a rapidity equalled only by the nimblest of our sandpipers, 

 and very much in their manner. At these times also it roosts on the ground, and 

 runs about after dusk. 



* * * Amidst the recesses of these wet sea marshes, it seeks the rankest 

 growth of grass and sea weed, and climbs along the stalks of the rushes with as 

 much dexterity as it runs along the ground, which is rather a singular circum- 

 stance, most of our climbers being rather awkward at running. 



