Feb. 1888.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



29 



The nest is built of straws, generally finer 

 than those in the Bank Swallow's uest; which 

 is accounted for by the fact that the Rough- 

 wings never in my experienc<' use feathers as a 

 lining, while the Hank Swallows always do. 



Tliere is about as niueli diirereiiec hi tlie size 

 of tlie eggs as of the l)irds, lliose of tlie Kough- 

 wings bi'hig slightly larger both in length and 

 breadth. In th<- iiundier of eggs in a set, how- 

 ever-, there is a marked diflerenee. The average 

 number of eggs in a set of Hank Swallow is 

 four, seldom three and often five, while five is 

 a small set of Hougli-wings and six or seven is 

 the usual number, probably eight are sometimes 

 taken. 



I have paid some atfcution tii tlirse lilrds to 

 try and discern some dift'erence in the voice but 

 have so far beeu unable to do so though (ii)por- 

 tunity h.as been ample. While tlie nesting hab- 

 its as described al)ove have been my invariable 

 experience, I am well aware that in other parts 

 of the country habits ditt'er and cavities in 

 rocks and holes in abutments of bridges are the 

 chosen nesting place, and it would be interest- 

 ing to discovi'r where this bird uses rock, and 

 where sand and if possible why its tastes vary 

 in ditt'creiit localities, and to this end I would 

 be gl:id to receive information from all jiarts of 

 the habitat of this species, stating the breeding 

 |>laces, whether in sand or rock and whether in 

 the locality named both places are attainable; 

 the average set taken, the material used in the 

 nest, the approximate length and width of the 

 hole and the reasons which may occur U> any- 

 one as to why its habits ai-e as stated. A pos- 

 tal card bearing even on one point only will 

 often be valuable evidence and the result will 

 be furnished to the O. ANU O. for publication 

 as soon as practicable. 



Queer Actions of a Song Sparrow. 



in C. <■. MAXKlEI.l). WII.].Al;l>, N. V. 



During the early summer of the year 1885, 

 while cultivating potatoes, I nearly filled a 

 Song Sparrow's (Mflnspiza mchidia) nest with 

 loose earth thrown up by my cultivator. The 

 nest was built near a tidt of a plant, called 

 sheep sorrel by farmers, and was nearly con- 

 cealed. I had no idea of there being a nest 

 near nie until 1 saw the female pass almost di- 

 rectly between the teeth of the cultivator. I 

 then stopped work and began looking around. 

 The nest, which I soon found, had passed, to- 

 gether with the tuft of sorrel, between the two 



outer teeth of the niaeliine, but neither had 

 been injured. As I stooped down near the nest 

 the old bird flew from the fence a couple of 

 rods away and alighted on the ground near me, 

 fluttering up with a great show of feathers, 

 very much as the old bird usually does when 

 she is disturbed upon her nest, until she was 

 (|uite near my hand which I had extended tow- 

 ards the nest. She would rise and fly at my 

 hand, seeming to believe that it was the only 

 thing that would harm herself or nest. In fly- 

 ing around she actually passed between my 

 feet several times as 1 was seated on the 

 ground beside the nest. I waited by the side 

 of the nest fully twenty minutes but the bird 

 did not oft'er to leave, but was, nearly the whole 

 time, within two or three feet of me. I touched 

 her several times with the index finger of my 

 hand by moving it slowly to her, but she would 

 only tui-n and strike at it and slowly back out 

 of reach. 



I visited the uest several times dining the 

 next two or three hours, but she was always 

 there and would not leave the nest until 1 bad 

 |)laeed my finger under her and raised bei- 

 from it. 



Each morning afterwards, for a week or 

 more, I visited the nest regularly. She would 

 nearly always be sitting upon it and would not 

 leave until I had pushed her from it, and on 

 one occasion she, instead of being pushed otl'to 

 the ground, placed her feet upon my finger and 

 pecked at it while standing upon it. Then I 

 pointed one of the fingers of my other baud at 

 her and she turned upon it, much resembling 

 an enraged canary. In a short time I acciden- 

 tally moved the hand she was perched u|ion 

 and she jumped to the ground. Never after 

 this did she venture to sit upon my hand. 1 

 watched her for some time with the s.iiiic re- 

 sults, but finally left her to her family. 



The nest was built of the usual straw and hay 

 outside and lined with line roots, as I have 

 nearly always found to be the case where the 

 nests of this species is placed upon cultivated 

 ground. 



At the time i first saw her, the nest coiitalncil 

 four eggs. They were rather dark, but 1 think 

 they were about the usual dimensions of this 

 species' eggs. I did not disturb the bird or 

 uest on account of the strange actions noticed, 

 but in a few days I found young birds in the 

 nest. 



Has anyone noted anj' similar experience 

 with any bird of this species V As for myself, 

 I am totally unable to account for the actions 

 of this one. 



