CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 539 
on Clearwater river, lat. 56° 30’; very common on Methye lake 
to the exclusion of other birds; common in places south to Isle 
a la Crosse. (J. M.Macoun.) First individual seen at Indian 
Head, Sask., April 30th, 1892; they were common by the 2oth, 
and bred in considerable numbers; one male was seen at Medicine 
Hat, Sask., April 30th, 1894; quite common in scrub along the 
river and creeks by May 5th; a few found breeding at Crane lake, 
but especially along Skull creek; in the Cypress hills, at the last of 
June; they were quite common along the willow thickets bordering 
the small creeks forming Swift Current creek. This species is 
always by water, and wherever there is water and brush. We 
found it from Old Wives creek to Wood mountain and west to 
Frenchman river, and by all the creeks issuing from the Cypress 
hills. Many nests were found on the ground, generally beneath 
willows. A few individuals were seen in the Milk River valley at 
Castellated rocks, Alta., also on the west Butte, on the 49th parallel, 
and at Lee creek farther west; very rare at Banff in the Rocky 
mountains, breeding in the bushes in the marsh below ‘‘the Cave 
and Basin” in June, 1891; first observed one, April 20th, at Edmon- 
ton, Alta.;found a nest May 26th and another May 27th with five 
eggs; nests, on the ground, composed of dry grass, lined with a little 
horse hair; common south in the foothills to Crow Nest pass; com- 
mon from mouth of Lesser Slave river to Peace River Landing 
lat. 56° 15’ in June, 1903; common from Edmonton to the crossing 
of McLeod river, north of Edmonton in June, 1898. (Spreadborough.) 
BREEDING Notes.—A common breeding bird around Ottawa. 
Nest in a low bush, or tuft of grass, or on the ground, built of 
grass, rootlets and vegetable matter, lined with grass and hair. 
Eggs four, greenish or grayish white spotted with brown, choco- 
late and lavender. (G. R. White.) Breeding in May, June and 
July, and occasionally in August in New Brunswick. I would 
not be surprised if some specialist were to divide our song sparrows 
into two races. There is certainly a difference in the songs of those 
in different localities, a great difference in their eggs and the loca- 
tion of the nest. (W. H. Moore.) Some of the nests are on the 
ground or sunken in the ground, also in the midst of heaps of dead 
branches or covered by tufts of tall grass in the fields or by reeds 
in the marshes. Others are built in bushes or in small trees to a 
height of ten feet, and many on the lower branches of large conifers. 
