244 



THE OOLOGIST. 



Male — distinguishable by the broad 

 black of the breast, aud the band of 

 chestnut on the back of the neck. 



Female — similar but colors less intense 

 and marked. 



Eggs — light reddish-clay with spots of 

 dai'k reddish-brown, and sometimes 

 sci'awls of the same color; also shell 

 marks of lilac. 



A set of three eggs in ray collection 

 measure .75x.56, .75x.56, .76x.57, respec- 

 tively. 



In Ramsey Co., this species is associ- 

 ated with McCown's Longspur, which 

 it resembles greatly, both in appearance 

 and song. 



ROLLA P. CUKRIE, 



Grand Forks, N. Dak. 



PringilladsB in Newton, Middlesex County, 

 Mass. 



There are about fifteen species of 

 FringilUdcfi here that have come under 

 my notice, of which seven are known 

 by me to breeil and the othei's ai'e only 

 migrants or winter visitors. 



The Chipping Sparrow {Spizella soci- 

 alis) is perhaps the commonest heie, 

 and best known. It arrives here about 

 the 6th of April and leaves in October 

 or November. They begin in the 

 spring about three o'clock in the morn- 

 ing and sing most alKday. Their song 

 is a prolonged trill all on the same 

 key. and I have noticed two different 

 trills one sharper and louder, the other 

 softer and duller. In the fall their only 

 note is a "chip." I found this year the 

 prettiest nest of this species I ever saw, 

 it was ten and one half feet up in an ap- 

 ple tree and was composed of fine 

 Weed stalks, I'ootlets and fine grass and 

 lined with, white horse hair entirely. It 

 contained five eggs which were the 

 usual color, light blue, spotted mostly 

 at the larger end with black and laven- 

 der and measured, .72x 50, .72x.50, .75x 

 .50, .75X.50, .75X.50. 



The Song Sparrow {Melospiza melo- 

 dia) comes next in numbers. A few re- 



main with us through the winter in 

 some brush heap, or thick overgrown 

 spot that is sheltered irom the wind, 

 but they do not begin to get very com- 

 mon till about the first of April. They 

 do not sing in the winter at all, but by 

 the first week in March while the snow 

 is still on the ground one can hear 

 them singing from their respective 

 In'ush heaps, * first one taking up the 

 song, of which there are more than 

 twentj', and the others joining in. 

 They have also a peculiar squeaking 

 song, which I have only heard in the 

 fall of the year. About the last of 

 April they commence nest building, 

 and the nest is usually snugly tucked 

 away in a tussock of grass or bunch of 

 weeds but sometimes in a small bush. 

 A nest I found this year on May 13th 

 was four feet up in a hedge, and con- 

 tained five egg.-, four of them were 

 light green, spotted mostly at the larger 

 end with brown and lilac, the other 

 egg was like the rest only the spots 

 were smaller 'and more evenly distri- 

 Inited, they measured .81x.63, .81x.63, 

 .72X.56, .7<Jx.56, .72x.56. The nest was 

 made of leaves, weed stalks and grass 

 lined with horse hair, it was very fragile 

 and quite bulky. 



The Purple Finch {Carpodacus pur- 

 pureus) is rather common here, but 

 breeds rather sparingly. It arrives 

 here in the first week of April, and de- 

 parts by October. The female is an in- 

 significant looking bird but the males 

 of the second aud third year are very 

 beautiful, being crimson above, each 

 feather of the back having a brown 

 stripe through the middle, wings and 

 tail black edged with brown, throat, 

 breast and sides are crimson, the belly 

 being white. Thej^ feed off the buds of 

 different trees, or seeds of i>lants or 

 fruit. 



I had the good luck to find a nest this 

 3^ear on June 11 th, it was fifteen and 

 one-half feet up in an apple tree, and 

 was made of weed stalks, flower stems 

 and rootlets lined with fine grass and 



