Alleged Breeding of LeConte Sparrows in III. 39 



Sparrows that T have seen conform to the paler type of Le 

 Conte eggs. The nest sites and placings are precisely the 

 same. 



In manner at nest, I am inclined to believe, (from very nar- 

 row experience,) that these two sparrows are totally unlike in 

 their reactions. In searching for nests of the Le Conte Spar- 

 row you make your circuits with your drag-rope ; and when a 

 bird flushes, \x)U drop the rope quickly, and begin to search 

 about five feet back of where you think the bird left the sea-of- 

 grass. Find it you surely will — if it be there ; which it more 

 than likely will be. Per contra, when you hear the harsh 

 "crz-z-z-h" of a soaring Nelson Sparrow, you just drop the 

 nail-rake with which you have been dragging-up the dead grass 

 in your .:earch for that nest of the Yellow Rail ; and begin to 

 paw grass by the acre. Maybe you will find a nest of Nelson 

 Sparrow, sometime ; but flush a sitting bird you almost never 

 will. Manv a bird will leave the grass before your very feet ; 

 and you will paw grass with renewed ferocity. But you will 

 always have just your pawing for your pains. (In other 

 words, I am inclined to believe that the Nelson Sparrow always 

 kaves her nest before an intruder is anywhere near ; and that 

 she never leaves the cover until very far away.) Now, will 

 Mr. Abbott be complaisant enough to describe for us, in the 

 pages of the Wilson Bulletin, the call of his "ventriloquistic" 

 little friend ; and will he send the nest of his finding to some 

 critical student for inspection and verification ? 



A WINTER INVASION OF JASPER COUNTY, IOWA. 



BY J. L. SLOANAKER.' 



Seeing the following paragraph in an early December is- 

 sue 'of the Newton Journal, I immediately took steps to as- 

 certain the correctness of the report, which read as follows : 



PRAIRIE CHICKENS ARE PLENTIFUL ON SKUNK BOTTOM. 



" This year has brought along with its other innumerable 

 blessings, a vast number of prairie chickens, such as 'has not 



