A. CAUDACUTUS : SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. 249 



common New England birds — not only because their 

 distribution is very local, as we have just seen, but also 

 because their habits screen the birds from casual obser- 

 vation. They keep very closely in the shelter of the 

 reeds 4nd the rank salt herbage, taking but short and 

 seemingly feeble flights when flushed, as is with some 

 difficulty done. Neither species, probably, is so rare as 

 some suppose; and as each one, like the Marsh Wren, 

 colonizes certain spots without settling others to all ap- 

 pearance equally eligible, the actual numbers of the 

 birds can scarcely be surmised. Thus, according to 

 Mr. Merriam, great numbers "of both were found 

 along the Quinnipiac River, in Connecticut, so far in- 

 land that the water was scarcely brackish ; in some 

 spots maritimus outnumbered caudactitus, but on the 

 whole the reverse was the case. The Sharp-tailed 

 Finches reach New England early in April, and re- 

 main until some time in October. The ecjo-s of the 

 first set are laid the last of May, or early in June ; 

 others, perhaps of a second batch, have been found in 

 July. The nest is placed in a tuft of grass or other 

 herbage, just out of the way of the water — some in- 

 stinct teaching the birds enough about tides to answer 

 their purpose. The eggs measure about 0.75x0.55, 

 and are grayish-white, thickly and pretty evenly spec- 

 kled with brown ; they could not be distinguished with 

 certainty from some samples of Savanna Sparrow's 

 eggs, nor readily from those of the Sea-side Sparrow. 

 This species has occasioned some controversy be- 

 tween the senior ornitholos'ist of New England and 

 other persons. See Brown, Bull. Nutt. Club, ii, 1877, 

 p. 27 ; iii, 1878, p. 98 ; iv, 1879, P- 5^ '■> Maine. Brewer, 

 ibid., iii, 1878, p. 48, and p. 147; ''apologetic"; Pr. 



