862 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 37 pakt 2 



giving a weak chirp and no other sound. Soon she disappeared seeming indifferent 

 to the fate of her nest. 



This nest was situated sixteen inches above the ground in switch-grass, about 

 midway; and made of dead grass lined with finer blades of grass neatly cupped. 

 Over the top of nest enough grass was placed to conceal it, though it could not 

 be strictly called an arched nest. It gave the impression of a nest just begun. * * * 



Again on April 13, 1927, * * * I found three nests * * * . The first nest was 

 built in the short salt-grass [Salicornia] several inches above the ground, built of 

 the same material, lined with fine grasses. It was only found by accidentally 

 parting the grass and contained three young about two days old. The parents 

 were quite solicitous, scolding with a loud chipping note, accompanied by jerks of 

 the tail. * * * A second nest was located by observing the parent fly into a dense 

 clump of switch-grass three different times. Twice I searched well but could not 

 find a nest, but the third time was rewarded by finding the nest with three young 

 of the same age as found in the other nest. A deserted nest that had been occupied 

 earlier in the season was found several inches above the ground in [a] dense patch 

 of salt-grass. 



Eggs. — The Cape Sable sparrow lays three to five ovate and slightly 

 glossy eggs, very similar to those of the other seaside sparrows. 

 The ground color is greenish-white to grayish white, speckled and spot- 

 ted with such reddish browns as "Mars brown," 'Trout's brown," 

 or "auburn." The three sets in the American Museum of Natural 

 History in New York are grayish-white with spotting well scattered 

 over the entire surface with only a slight concentration toward the 

 large end. Some eggs have undermarkings of "pale purplish gray." 

 The measurements of 15 eggs average 19.9 by 15.1 millimeters; those 

 shovdng the four extremes measure 20.6 by 16.6, 18.3 by 14.5, and 20.3 

 by 13.9 millimeters. 



Howell (1932) states: "The five eggs collected by Court * * * are 

 pale bluish white, heavily and rather evenly spotted with different 

 sized spots of verona brown and lavender gray. They are very similar 

 to certain eggs of the Smyrna Seaside, but the ground color is more 

 bluish, and the eggs are less pointed than the average egg of that race." 



The earliest nesting date known is indicated by J. C. Howell, Jr. 

 (1937), who writes: "On March 30, 1934, near Flamingo in Monroe 

 County, Florida, Messrs. J. Adger Smyth, D. S. Riggs, and the 

 writer observed a young Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow * * * . This 

 bird had not been out of the nest more than a day or two. The set 

 of eggs from which this youngster hatched must have been deposited 

 during the first week in March." 



Plumage. — Nothing is known of the incubation period in this species, 

 and though several observers have reported seeing young in the nest, 

 no description of the nestlings exists in the literature. Apparently 

 the only juvenal specimen in existence is one I collected June 29, 1952, 

 for the U.S. National Museimi. Concerning this bird O. L. Austin, 

 eTr., writes me: "John Aldrich and I just examined together the juve- 

 nile you collected. Compared with February and April adults, the 



