38 The Wilson Bulletin — Xo. TO. 



October, individuals sometimes remaining into tlie first weelj of No- 

 vember. One was recorded on January 1, 1904, at a spot on tlie 

 lalie shore where a large mass of cinders used for a railroad till 

 was afire. On subsequeut visits the bird was not fouud. Fresh 

 eggs have been fouud May 16, and young birds in the nest May 31. 

 This is one of the most characteristic and numerous birds of our 

 fields, where its nests abound. 



157. iPassewiilus sandwichensis savanna. — Savanna Sparrow. 



A regular migrant in small numbers at both migration seasons. 

 The only time when it has been found in sufficient numbers to be 

 called common was October 21, 1907. In that year it was present 

 on the sand spit from April 15 to 29. and from October 15 to 23. 

 Several individuals were singing during the autumn sojourn. I 

 have never found it on any of the islands, probably because visits 

 to them have not coincided with the migrations of this species. The 

 median date of arrival is April 6, the earliest being March 21, 

 1903. The birds have gone north by the third week in May. Fall 

 records are too few to make statements of that movement of any 

 value. Except on the sand spit, whei'e they are found anywhere in 

 open spaces, these birds are confined to the grassy fields and 

 meadows, being most numerous along the grassy borders of ditches. 

 They may occasionally be flushed from the midst of wet fields. 



158. Ammodramus savannarum ausiralis. — Grasshopper Sparrow. 



A rather common summer resident, breeding in meadows. The 

 average is about two pairs in a five-acre meadow. It was fairly 

 common on the sand spit among the grassy reaches, but not in the 

 swamps, on April 29, and May 6 to 13, 1907. It breeds in a meadow 

 at Rye Beach. The median date of arrival is April 27, the earliest 

 being April 16, 1906. It sings well toward the end of July, and 

 passes south by the middle of September. There has been no per- 

 ceptible increase or fiuctuation in numbers in sixteen years. The 

 plowing up of meadows results in a shifting of the nesting area to 

 the nearest new meadow. The nest is placed in a slight depres- 

 sion in the ground at the base of a tussock of grass or bunch of 

 weeds. In Iowa many nests were placed beneath the lowest leaves 

 of the bull thistle. While the favorite perch is a weed stem, 

 which barely reaches the top of the grass of the meadow, birds 

 not infrequently perch on a fence post or the topmost wire while 

 they sing. 



159. Pansei'Jicrhuhis licuf<loiri. — Ilenslow Sjiarrow. 



The first specimen captured in the region was June 4, 1894. in a 

 meadow three miles north of Obei'lin. l>y Itov. W. L. Dawson and 



