73 THE WILSON QUARTERLY. 



nest, always betraying its position. Sometimes she will 

 sit until one is almost past or upon her before flushing. 



There is little clanger of mistaking this bird's eggs for 

 those of any other. They do not resemble eggs of any oth- 

 er sparrow in shape or general appearance. Most eggs are 

 short ovate, appearing plump and full at the larger end. 

 They are of a pure white color, slightly polished, and rath- 

 er sparingly spotted, dotted, and sparingly blotched with 

 reddish browns, mostly around the larger end, often in the 

 form of a ring. The markings are never so heavy that the 

 ground color cannot be easily seen. 



The period of incubation is twelve days, and the young 

 leave the nest in fifteen days. When hatched they are 

 covered with dirty looking down. For a fuller account of 

 this bird's habits, see O. & O. S. A. Vol. I, No. 2. 



Ammodramus hensMivii. Henslow's Sparrow. 



No one seems to have noticed this bird except myself. 

 Even the books find little to say of it. In Iowa it is com- 

 mon in the fields. The first arrivals from the South are al- 

 ways found in the underbrush skirting native woods. Lat- 

 er they move out to their prairie homes, just as the 

 Grasshopper Sparrows are arriving from the South. Their 

 weak little voice will not be heard among all the rest unless 

 one listens very attentively for it. 



Soon after its appearance on the prairies nest building 

 begins, about the middle of May . I found a nest with eggs 

 nearly fresh May 35. So few have been found that no ex- 

 act dates can be given. From unmistakable indications we 

 would be safe in saying that nests with eggs may be found 

 as late as July 10. 



The nest is placed on the ground, usually in a slight de- 

 pression, and has for a shelter a tuft of grass or bunch of 

 weeds. The material is fine dry grass, with a few hairs 

 frequently. The use of feathers is accidental, as they are 

 evidently from the mother bird's breast, and are not built 

 into the material of the nest. 



The eggs resemble those of the last species, but usually 

 have a greenish or grayish tint with brown markings not 



