RARER BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 633 



have been found. The first nest found in this state was dis- 

 covered by Mr. E. S. Wheeler, in Berlin, and the fact is 

 recorded in the seventh volume of the Proceedings of the 

 Boston Society of Natural History (page 137). This species 

 was at first wrongly identified as Peucea Backmanii And 

 (=P. mstivalis Baird), and as such stands recorded in the 

 sixth volume of the same Proceedings (p. 21). The mis- 

 take was corrected, however, on p. 74 of the same volume, 

 so that Peucea cestivalis has never been included nor referred 

 to as a bird of Massachusetts in any of the lists of the birds 

 of the state, or of New England. 



In respect to O. Henslowii, Mr. Maynard informs me it 

 has been confounded with O. passerinus by a number of 

 collectors, and that it seems to be more common at some 

 localities in the state than the latter. 



WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. ZonotricJiia leucophrys Sw. 

 Rare in all parts of the state, and thus far not known to 

 breed in Massachusetts, though it may do so among the 

 mountains in the western counties. Though mentioned by 

 Dr. Coues as "usually common, but of somewhat irregular 

 occurrence" in New England,* the score or more of collec- 

 tors with whom I am acquainted all look upon it as one of 

 our rarest species in Massachusetts. Some have never met 

 with it. More to the westward, however, it is quite com- 

 mon. In Wayne county, New York, I found it as numerous 

 in May, 1867, as the White-throated Sparrows usually are 

 in New England. 



WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Zonotrichia albicollis Bon. 

 A pair of these birds, probably the same pair, has been ob- 

 served by Mr. R. B. Hilclreth at Springfield during the last 

 three summers. Though he has not succeeded in discovering 

 their nest, he this year observed them feeding their scarcely 

 fledged young. He reports that they have become very 

 familiar and readily answer his call. Though breeding nu- 



*List of the Birds of New England, 1. c. p. 282. 

 AMKR. NATURALIST, VOL. III. 80 



