186 



ORNITHOLOGIST* 



[Yol. 14-lS^o. 12 



my feet. Looking down, I saw the cosy nest 

 containing a fine set of five eggs. 



The nest was almost exactly like that of a 

 Shore Lark, being sunken flush with the sur- 

 face of the ground. It was lined with some 

 bleached grasses and weed stems. The rim was 

 quite thick and turned inward, which made the 

 nest look smaller than it really was. It was 

 built in an open place, close to a w ell-travelled 

 road; and although there was no grass nor 

 weeds to conceal it, it was very difficult to see 

 while a few feet away. I attempted to take 

 out the lining of the nest, but it fell to pieces 

 and I could not lift it. 



I went somewhat further on. and soon espied 

 a singing male. This time n)y running tactics 

 failed, for the bird flushed wild ahead of me; 

 but now knowing where to look for a nest, I 

 found it, after a few minutes' search, close to 

 a large white stone, which was the only one in 

 sight, the birds using it, perhaps, for a land- 

 mark. This nest also contained five eggs. 

 The nest was identical with the one first found, 

 and in fact all of those I found, while there, 

 were very similar, both in location and struc- 

 ture, a descrii>tion for one will sufiice for all. 



The next day (May 22d) I found two more 

 nests in similar locations, each containing four 

 eggs, and on the 2od I found three more sets 

 of four eggs each, all of wliicli were found on 

 a patch of burnt ground. 



On the 2!tth 1 found another set of five, but 

 the location of the nest was different from all 

 the others, it being placed in a bunc-li of grass 

 and well concealed. On the same day I also 

 found two more nests, one containing twf> and 

 the other three eggs, which were left for com- 

 plete sets, but on returning on the 29th the set 

 of three had not increased in number, v.hile 

 the nest of two eggs had been burnt over by a 

 recent fire; but what surprised me most was 

 two little downy Longspurs that greeted me 

 with open mouths as I came up. Tliis nest 

 was so deeply imbedded in tlie ground that the 

 flames probably swept over it and left the 

 eggs uninjured. 1 do not believe the bird 

 could have protected them at the time. 



These were the last nests I found, as I left 

 Madison on the 81st of May. 



The eggs are peculiar, — quite unlike any 

 others I have seen, but somewhat resembling 

 those of the Grass Finch in the clouded appear- 

 ance of the shell-markings, and having the dull 

 white ground color of those of a I^ark Finch. 



None of the nests contained eggs of the Cow- 

 bird. The small birds of that district are very 

 free from the intrusions of this parasite, as I 



saw very few of the birds and found none of 



their eggs in any nest that I came across. 



George G. Cantwell. 

 Lake Mills, Wis. 



[Seven of the sets above referred to by Mr. 

 Cantwell, together with another .set collected 

 in a different locality, are now before me, and 

 may be thus described: 



Set L May 22, ISSli, Huron, Dakota. Col- 

 lected by E. S. Cheney. Xest, a hollow in the 

 ground, lined with fine grass, placed beside 

 manure on a hillside. Three eggs, incubation 

 begun. Pinkish-wliite. speckled with burnt 

 umber, and also veined with a few lines of seal 

 brown: .78 x ..")(); .78 x ..54; .78 x .51. (This set 

 is described in Davie's Neafs and E(/</s, 1889, 

 page 29(5.) 



Set n. May 2o, 1889, Lac-qui-Parle County, 

 Minn. Collected by Geo, G. Cantwell. Nest 

 composed of bleached grass and weed stems, 

 sunken flush with the surface of the surround- 

 ing prairie. Four eggs, incubation begun. 

 Greenish-wiiite, spotted .sparingly, but dis- 

 I tinctly, with clove brown. There are a few 

 ; under shell markings of cinereous. The spots 

 are evenly distributed all over the surface: 

 .7»> X .ob ; .7(5 X ..">."> ; .7:5 x ..j-t ; .72 x ..*)4. 



SetllL May 2:5, 1889, Lac-qui-Parle County, 

 Minn. Collected by Geo. G. Cantwell. Nest 

 composed of bleached grass and weed stems, 

 sunken flush with the surface. Four eggs, 

 fresh. Greenish-wliite, .speckled and spotted 

 with Vandyke brown and seal brown, with a 

 few under siiell mirkings of cinereous. Tiiese 

 spots are heaviest around the larger ends: .70 

 X.55; .70 X. ").■); .(>7x.")4; .(ux.54. 



Set IV. May 2:], 1889, Lac-qui-Parle County, 

 Minn. Collected by Geo. G. Cantwell. Nest 

 composed of grass and weed stems, sunken 

 flush with the surface of the surrounding 

 plains. Four eggs, fresh. Light greenish- 

 white, speckled and spotted all over the sur- 

 face with burnt umber. There are also under 

 shell markings of drab-gray, and a few vein, 

 ings of seal brown: .77 x ..■J7; .7") x ..")8; .7-> x .;";8; 

 .74x..Mt. 



Set V. May 29, 1889, Lac-qui-Parle County, 

 Minn. Collected by Geo. G. Cantwell. Nest 

 composed of grass and w^eed stems, sunken flush 

 with the surface of the prairie. Tliis nest was 

 found on the 2:^>d of May, with three eggs, and 

 no more were deposited by the 29th. Three 

 eggs, incubation advanced. (xreenish-white, 

 spotted and veined with burnt umber. There 

 are also numerous under shell markings of cin- 

 ereous: .73 X .oCy; .75 x .57; .72 x ..5(5. 



Set VI. May 22, 1889, Lac-qui-Parle County, 



