CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 505 
myself on the west slope of Duck mountain to the north of the 
province. (E. T. Seton.) Rare at Aweme, Man., but probably 
breeds. (Criddle.) Noted occasionally about Portage la Prairie, 
Man., and about the larger marshes in Manitoba but more numerous 
in the alkali districts of the west. Noted breeding in 1906 from 
Touchwood hills, Sask. to Beaver Hill lake, Alta. (Atkinson.) 
In June, 1896, this species was breeding in a marsh at Sewell, Man. 
(Macoun.) First seen at Indian Head, Sask., May 12th, 1892, 
next seen June 23rd, when two nests were found; each nest contained 
five eggs; nest made of dried grass under a tuft on the ground; 
breeding in wet ground ; common on Bragg creek, about 40 miles 
from Calgary, June 28th, 1897. (Spreadborough.) The Calgary 
reference above should probably go to the Nelson sparrow. 
BREEDING NotTes.—On June 23rd, 1892, I found two nests of 
this species. Each nest contained five eggs. The nest was placed 
in old grass close to the ground, and was made of the same. The 
land was low but not wet. The female was shot as she left the 
nest. (Spreadborough.) In June, 1893, Mr. G. F. Dippie and 
myself were fortunate in discovering the nest and eggs of this species 
which were previously little known ; this was at Raeburn, Man. 
Since then I have found several more nests of Leconte’s sparrow in 
Manitoba and Saskatchewan, all were made of fine dry grass and 
nothing else and were invariably built in a tuft of marsh hay a few 
inches above the ground. The eggs are greenish-white speckled at 
the largest end with ashy-brown and are small, .65 x .50 inches. 
(W. Raine.) On June 12th, 1896, the writer was collecting in a 
swamp south of Sewell, on the Canadian Pacific railway and came 
on the nest of a bird new to him. The following is from his note- 
book and evidently refers to this species. ‘In the open swamp I 
found another nest in the grass, almost touching the water which 
here was standing in the grass and was evidently permanent as 
Menyanthes trifoliata and Calla palustris grew close by. When the 
bird arose I thought it was a clay-coloured sparrow, but on looking 
into the nest saw four eggs about the same size as the sparrow’s 
but the large end was completely covered with a deep shade of 
brown which shaded off into a lighter colour and became mottled 
with a lightish-green. Three eggs were as above, but one was much 
lighter in colour and hence more distinctly mottled. They were 
much incubated and were injured in blowing. I refer the eggs to 
Leconte’s sparrow. 
