GILLnxaG THE FINCHES* 251 



Ammodramus caudacutus nelsoni (Allen). 



NELSON'S SPABBOW. 



Popular synonym. Nelson's Sharp-tailed Finch. 



Ammodromus caudacutus var. nelsoni ALLEN, Proc. Boston Soc. xvii, March. 1875, 93. 



NELSON, Bull. Essex Inst. viii, 1876, 107, 152; Bull Nutt. Orn. Club, July, 1876 40. 

 Ammodromus caudacutus nelsoni RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 201a. COUES, 2d 



Check List, 1882, No. 241; 2d Key, 1884, 368. 



HAS. Mississippi Valley (Calumet marshes, and vicinity of Warsaw, Illinois; eastern 

 Kansas, etc.) ; salt marshes of Atlantic coast during migrations. 



SP. CHAB. Adult. Pileum bluish gray or olive-gray medially, umber-brown laterally, 

 the lateral stripes more or less streaked with black. A broad superciliary stripe deep 

 ochraceous, connected behind the auriculars with a broad maxillary stripe of the same 

 color. Auriculars grayish, with a dusky line along upper edge, connecting with a dis- 

 tinct black streak beneath hinder part of the ochraceous superciliary stripe. Scapulars 

 and interscapulars bright olive-brown, the outer webs broadly edged with grayish white, 

 separated from the brown by a blackish line. Tertials dusky, bordered with rusty whitish 

 or pale rusty. Bump uniform olive-brown. Kectrices light raw- umber-brown, darker 

 along shafts. Chin, throat, breast, sides, flanks, and crissum ochraceous, the jugulum, 

 breast, sides, and flanks streaked with dusky. Wing, 2.20-2.30; tail, 1.95-2.10. 



This inland race differs from the coast form principally in its 

 somewhat smaller size (the bill especially) and brighter coloration, 

 the colors being richer and the markings more sharply contrasted. 



So little is known either of its habits or distribution, that all 

 the information we have to offer is the following, from Mr. Nelson's 

 list of the birds of northwestern Illinois. (Bull. Essex Inst., Vol. 

 Vni., 1876, p. 107) : 



"First obtained September 17, 1874, in the Calumet Marsh, where 

 it was abundant at the time. The 12th of June, 1875, I saw sev- 

 eral of these birds in the dense grass bordering Calumet Lake, where 

 they were undoubtedly breeding. The 1st of October, 1875, I again 

 found them abundant on the Calumet Marsh, and also found them 

 numerous in the wild rice bordering Grass Lake, Lake county, Illi- 

 nois, the 10th of November the same year. Prof. S. A. Forbes has 

 taken them on the Illinois Eiver during the migrations, and Dr. 

 Hoy has obtained a single specimen at Kaeine. From the numbers 

 which visit us in the fall, they must breed in abundance north of this 

 State. They are difficult to obtain, as they take refuge in the dense 

 marsh grass upon the first alarm. Occasionally one mounts a tall 

 reed and utters a short, unmusical song, slightly resembling that 

 of the Swamp Sparrow (M. palustris)." 



