150 BIRDS OF MAINE. 



In a recent article regarding the "Sharp-tailed Finches of Maine" 

 Mr. A. H. Norton speaks of the habitat of the Acadian Sharp-tail 

 as follows : "North of Scarboro, beginning with Cape Elizabeth, 

 its eastern boundary, the coast presents an uneven or hilly face of 

 rocks, indented with numerous coves and bays, studded with dry 

 ledgy islands. Between the hills are innumerable arms of the sea 

 often extending as * 'tide-rivers" or fjords several miles inland, 

 bordered by narrow swales. Coincident with these features is the 

 low spruce woods, so conspicuous a feature of the Maine coast, so 

 characteristic of the scanty soiled granite ridges, and the fog 

 drenched coast of the northeast. Very different in appearance are 

 the broad marshes of Scarboro and western Maine, backed by soil- 

 clad verdant slopes, with pine and hard woods replacing the spruce." 

 (Cf. Norton, Proc. Port. Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. 2, pp. 100-101). 



In my judgment he has here outlined the dividing line between 

 the two faunae, and the Canadian thus extends along the coast to 

 Cape Elizabeth. A few miles back in the interior these Canadian 

 features cease, and we will find ourselves in the midst of Allegha- 

 nian surroundings. These latter extend eastward in the interior into 

 Lincoln County, where the two regions seemingly meet, as is evi- 

 denced by the pine trees and spruces being about equal in numbers. 

 To the northward the Alleghanian surroundings probably predomi- 

 nate till the line of mountains which runs southwesterly across the 

 state is reached. In the absence of specific proof regarding this 

 point, I have been obliged to accept the evidence of previous 

 writers on the subject and follow their conclusions. 



All of the region to the eastward of the Penobscot River, together 

 with that north of the before-mentioned chain of mountains, is 

 Canadian in character. Of this there can be no doubt. We may 

 therefore say that Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Penobscot, 

 Piscataquis, Somerset, and Washington Counties are Canadian. 

 To these may be added, provisionally, Kuox and Waldo. A narrow 

 Canadian strip extends along the coast through Lincoln and Saga- 

 dahoc into Cumberland. The northern parts of Androscoggin, 

 Kennebec, and Oxford may be also included in this fauna. 



The Alleghauian includes all of York County and such parts of 

 Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Lincoln, Oxford, and 

 Sagadahoc as have not been previously designated as Canadian. 



