1926 J General Notes. 587 



he had learned a whole lot about a good many things — especially about 

 the importance of the matter of propagating his own species. Here in 

 Washington, only a few years ago, he quit building, communal style, in 

 the vines covering such "sacred edifices" as churches; he also practically 

 gave up nesting in trees that lined the streets and avenues in all directions. 

 As a matter of fact, the sparrow gave up his housekeeping in any such 

 public places. 



Now this year (1920) I have given especial attention to the nesting of 

 this species here in this city, and the interesting fact has come to my 

 notice that the bird has not built out in plain sight anywhere. I have 

 been unable to observe the presence of a nest within the city limits. That 

 they are nesting in as great numbers as ever there can be no doubt; for, 

 as the weather warms up, one may note the males courting the females 

 as usual, and both sexes gathering and flying away with materials for 

 nest construction. However, both males and females have become ex- 

 tremely secretive; and whatever place a pair selects for a nesting-site, 

 they make more than certain that no part of the nest is allowed to stick 

 out beyond the entrance. On several occasions I watched a bird with 

 some nesting material in its beak, to note where it flew, and thus dis- 

 cover where a nest would be later on. Every time I did so, however, the 

 bird would drop what it had; in an unconcerned manner take up some- 

 thing else, or fly up into a tree until I took my departure. I have not seen 

 a House Sparrow's nest in a tree in Washington this year; while twenty- 

 five or thirty years ago one could count as many as half a dozen in a single 

 tree, sometimes, on any of the busiest thoroughfares. — Dr. R. W. Shc- 

 feldt, Washington, D. C. 



Notes on the Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Passer her bulus nel- 

 sonisubvirgatus). — On June 12, 1920, in a small salt marsh near Bunker's 

 Island, at the southern end of Yarmouth Harbor, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 

 I found the occupied nest of a pair of Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrows. 

 The nest proper was a neat, round cup of fine, dry, dead grass, with some 

 horsehair in the lining. Its foundation consisted of some small masses 

 of "eel-grass" and roots. Its dimensions were: inside diameter, 2.5 in.; 

 outside diameter, 4.5 in.; inside depth, 1.5 in.; outside depth, 2.375 in. 

 It was elevated above the general surface of the marsh by being placed 

 on the top of a low, grassy ridge, about fourteen inches high, formed 

 from material thrown up when a ditch was dug across the marsh, many 

 years before. During some storm a mat of dead "eel-grass" had been 

 left on top of this ridge, and this had later been lifted by the growing 

 marsh grass, leaving several inches between it and the ground. The nest 

 was placed at the northwest edge of this mat, about half of the nest being 

 under it, while the other side was sheltered and concealed by grass about 

 six inches high. The nest was not sunk in the ground at all. 



Two young Sharp-tails, partly feathered, and nearly ready to leave 

 the nest, were in their snug home, while the dried body of a third young 



