2 Chapman, The Seaside Sparrows. [^ a u u 



ton, South Carolina, while Dr. Fisher forwards breeding birds and 

 young in first plumage from Grand Isle, Louisiana. 



The questions involved in a study of these birds may be 

 best presented by a brief consideration of our recorded knowl- 

 edge of the distribution and relationships of the five described 

 forms, namely : Ammodramus maritftnus, A. m. peninsula, A. m. 

 semietti, A. m. macgillivraii, and A. nigrescens. Of these five forms, 

 which are here given under their current names, the status of A. 

 nigrescens and A. m. sennetti is apparently clear and these two birds 

 may be considered before taking up the perplexing questions 

 presented by the remaining three forms. 



Ammodramus nigrescens {Ridgw.). 



Ammodramus maritimus var. nigrescens Ridgw. Bull. Essex Inst. V, 

 1873, 198; B. B. & R. N. A. Birds, III, 1875, App. 513 (descr. only) 

 ibid. I, pi. facing p. 560. 



Ammodramus melanoleucus Maynard, Am. Sportsman, V, 1S75, 24S; 

 Birds of E. N. A. 1881, 119, pi. V (descr., habits, dist.) 



Ammodramus nigrescens Ridgw. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Ill, 1SS0, 17S; 

 Chapman, Auk, XV, 1S9S, 270 (habits). 



This strongly marked species was discovered by Mr. C. J. 

 Maynard at Salt Lake, near Titusville, Florida, in March, 18^2. 

 Only a single specimen was secured at this locality, but he after- 

 wards found it to be "quite common" on the marshes bordering 

 the east shore of the Indian River, opposite Titusville, as recorded 

 in the ' American Sportsman ' and ' Birds of Eastern North 

 America.' The information contained in these publications con- 

 stituted all our published knowledge of the life history and dis- 

 tribution of this species until the appearance of my note on its 

 abundance in the marshes about the mouth of Dummitt's Creek 

 (Auk, 1. c), but Mr. Maynard has furnished me with the follow- 

 ing valuable data in regard to its distribution, which, with his 

 kind permission, I print in full : " The Black and White Shore 

 Finch, of which I have, so far as I know, taken all of the speci- 

 mens in collections, excepting two, that were shot by a friend who 

 was with me in Florida, but who took the two in question after I 

 left, occurs rarely about Salt Lake, Upper St. Johns, Florida, 

 commonly on the northern end of Merritt's Island, on the marshy 



