JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



45 



latter part of January by the capture 

 of two specimens "Between Pine 

 Point and Old Orchard" on January 

 23. (Goodale Auk III, p. 277.)- 



In 1900 Capt. Herbert L. Spinney 

 secured at Seguin Island a specimen 

 on October 11, two days earlier than 

 any previous Maine record. This is 

 in the writer's collectien. 



The spring records have been few, 

 indeed. Mr. Brown had knowledge 

 of their occurrence only between the 

 dates of March 20 and 28. (Proc. 

 Port. Soc. N. H. II, p. 13. Bull Nutt. 

 Orn. Club, VII, p. 190). This may in- 

 dicate an ancestral route of migra- 

 tion, but more probably it illustrates 

 the small amount of investigation 

 devoted to the species in spring. 

 Certainly in Southern New England 

 the species lingers into the beginning 

 of April (Dwight Memoirs Nutt. Orn. 

 CI. II, pp. 32-33.) 



Capt. Spinney has reported a spring 

 specimen taken in the town of Phipps- 

 burg, (Knight Birds of Maine p. 96), 

 and Mr. Fred Rackliff one from Knox 

 Co. (I.e.) The latter is still in Mr. 

 Rackliff's collection and was taken 

 on the Little Green Island, South part 

 of the Mussel Ledge Islands. 



Passcrculiis saitchvickensis savanna 



(Wils.) Savanna Sparrow. "Ground 

 Sparrow." 



Seemingly common throughout the 

 state in suitable situations, for it is a 

 bird of green fields, low meadows and 

 valleys, and especially of the coast 

 and islands. Indeed its abundance 

 on the coast has impressed nearly 

 every writer upon Maine birds. But 

 while so generally distributed as Mr. 

 Knight has shown it to be I did not 

 find it during the entire month of 

 July 1900, about East Parsonsfield nor 

 did I see it at Shapleigh during three 

 days spent there the latter part of 

 June, 1901. Hon. J. C. Mead also re- 

 ports it as "Rare near Bridgton." 

 (Cf. Knights' Birds of Maine, p. 96. ) 



I did not observe it during several 

 days spent upon Matinicus Rock, July, 

 1903, its absence being due no doubt 

 to the scarcity of vegetation there. 



I have found it abundant upon 

 nearly every grassy island between 

 Old Orchard and Cutler, which I have 

 visited (practically all of the outer 

 islands.) 



At Matinicus Seal Island, one of the 

 extreme outer islands, I found it in 

 marked abundance, while at Machias 



Seal Island, which is more isolated 

 though less distant from its coast, it 

 was rare, only one, a juvenal bird 

 being observed in 1903. Yet the con- 

 ditions there would seem favorable 

 to its existence. It is common on the 

 salt marshes at Wells, Scarborough 

 and Popham, where it breeds with 

 the Sharptails, and remains through- 

 out the period of its presence. 



On June 5, 1897, I found a nest of 

 the Savanna Sparrow on one of the 

 marshes at Scarborough where the 

 high tide two weeks later inundated 

 the marsh to the depth of fifteen 

 inches. The fate of this nest was 

 not determined. 



Though a summer resident occur- 

 ring between the first week in April 

 and early November, it has twice 

 been taken on our coast in winter. 

 Once at Seguin on Jan. 24, 1897 by 

 Capt. H. L. Spinney, who very kindly 

 presented the specimen to the writer. 



The following winter Mr. Fred 

 Racklilf took an abnormally devel- 

 oped specimen on the Big Green Is- 

 land, Knox County, Maine, on No- 

 vember 28, (1898). This specimen was 

 also presented to the writer. 



Cotitrnicnhis savannaritin passerintis 

 (Wils.) Grasshopper Sparrow. Yel- 

 low-winged Sparrow. 



Of rare occurrence, probably an 

 occasional irregular visitant rather 

 than an accidental straggler. Four 

 instances known. Audubon's cita- 

 tion of Maine in connection with its 

 habitat is too dubious in its nature to 

 stand as a record. (Cf. Orn. Biog. 

 II, p. 180). 



Mr. Boardman appears to have af- 

 forded the first actual data of the 

 birds occurrence, and it was doubt- 

 less upon his information that it was 

 included in Dr. Holmes's list in 1861. 

 (Sixth Ann. Rept. Me. Bd. Agri. 1861, 

 p. 118.). 



In 1862 Mr. Boardman included it in 

 his own Catalogue in the following 

 terms, "Summer visitant. Rare. 

 Arrives the first of April." (Proc. 

 Bost. Soc. N. H. IX, p. 126). 



In 1883, Mr. Everett Smith stated, 

 "George A. Boardman, Esq., informs 

 me that he has procured two speci- 

 mens here." (Forest & Stream XIX, 

 p. 466.). 



In 1901 Mr. J. M. Swain noted the 

 capture of a specimen at Pittsfield 

 by the late Clarence H. Morrell. 



