y 



X .X 



THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



Vol.111. Portland, Oregon, February, 1896. No. 2 



THE OREGON VESPER SPARROW, and straw and lined with hair. About an 

 (Pooc-KTEs GRAMiNEUs AFFiNis.) avcragc measurement. I think, is, inside: 



diameter, two inches, depth, one and one 



Read at the second annual meeting of the N. half inches; outside: diameter, three and 



O. A. at Portland, Or., hy Mr. H. M. Hoskins. one half inches, depth, two and one half 



inches. 



The Oregon Vesper Sparrow is quite a I once flushed a female Vesper Sparrow 

 common summer resident in this part of from her nest and upon examination, 

 the state, [ Yamhill county, ] and in a found what 1 took to be an incomplete 

 short time after its arrival in the spring, nest — a few straws in a small depression 

 from its winter home — usually about the under the side of a thick bunch of briers — 

 first of April — it may be seen in pairs in and was about to leave intending to return 

 the open fields and pasture-lands, which in a few days when the nest was comple- 

 seem to be its ravorite haunts. It is not ted, when I saw a narrow passageway 

 as musical and does not have as attractive leading farther into the bunch. 1 explored 

 plumage as many other birds, yet to me it it carefully for about a foot when to my 

 is one of the most interesting of our sum- surprise 1 found the real nest, containing 

 mer residents. a beautiful set of four fresh eggs. Lead- 



They begin nesting about the last of ing in the opposite direction from the nest 

 April or the first of May. From my own i found another path similar to the first 

 experience 1 would judge that the best one. These two paths, as far as I could 

 time for finding fresh eggs is from the find, were the only ones by which the bird 

 first to the 15th of May; although the could reach the nest, 

 breeding time varies considerably accord- The eggs are almost invariably four in 

 ing to the season. number. The ground color " is a dull 



The nest is usually placed under a tuft pinkish white or sometimes bluish white 

 of grass or a brier, in a slight hollow so clouded and spotted with burnt umber of 

 that the top of the nest is flush with the various shades." Some eggs are marked 

 ground and is almost invariably well hid- very heavily while on others the markings 

 den. It is composed of rather coarse grass are barely visible. They average about 



