266 Allison, The Sparrows of Mississippi. \jv\y 



the Terns and large numbers made their home there. I visited 

 this island once during the infancy of the young and the air was 

 full of the older birds, and very savage they were, too. There 

 were also more birds on the mainland than I have ever noticed 

 before. 



"In conclusion I will say, I think you would be abundantly 

 satisfied with the Penikese colony of Terns, for in my estimation 

 there has been a decidedly larger number of old birds than for 

 years, as well as a larger number of young, and they seem to have 

 increased in the past few years very materially." 



The old signs of last year were repaired, and repapered with 

 new warning notices, in Portugese and English, and all made 

 ready before the birds commenced to lay their eggs. 



'There are other places in Massachusetts waters where Terns 

 breed in small colonies, but they do not call for especial mention 

 here. One of these is located about the eastern head of Nan- 

 tucket harbor (where the ocean several years ago cut through), 

 where they bred the past season. There is another fairly large 

 colony domiciled within our boundaries which I have intended to 

 visit, but have not done so. It is my intention to investigate it 

 next summer, the results of which, if sufficiently important, will 

 be placed before the readers of ' The Auk.' 



THE SPARROWS OF MISSISSIPPI. 



BY ANDREW ALLISON. 



This brief summary, while embracing, I think, some species 

 not previously reported from the State of Mississippi, is perhaps 

 not a complete synopsis of the species found there, but deals 

 only with those that either I myself have found occurring, or 

 which have been otherwise recently proved to occur. Some 

 species that I have not seen in the State — viz.: the White-crowned 

 Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) , which occurs, though uncom- 

 monly, in the vicinity of New Orleans, and the Fox Sparrow 



