44:6 HISTORY OF THE 



lacks in musical power it makes up in zeal (like that of its 

 neighbor, Dickcissel). The singer, perched upon a weed or 

 coarse stalk of grass, swells out its little throat, and no doubt 

 charms the lady bird with its simple lay. They generally rear 

 two broods in a season, the males assisting in hatching and 

 rearing the young. 



Their nests are placed on the ground, usually in a depression, 

 and concealed in or under a tuft of grass. They are made of 

 old grasses and sometimes lined with hairs. Eggs four to six 

 (usually four), .73x. 58. They vary in size. A set of four eggs, 

 collected at Saybrook, Conn., only measure: . 65x. 53, 68x. 53, 

 . 69x. 56, . 70x. 57; pure white, with purplish shell markings and 

 thinly spotted with various shades of reddish brown, aggregated 

 thickly around the larger end; in form, rounded oval. 



Ammodramus henslowii (AUD.). 



HENSLOW'S SPARROW. 



Summer resident; rare. Arrive in April; begin laying about 

 the first of May; leave in October. 



B. 339. R. 199. C. 236. G. 99, 219. U. 547. 



HABITAT. Eastern United States; north to Ontario and south- 

 ern New England; west to the plains; winters in the Gulf States, 

 and probably southward. 



SP. CHAR. Tail graduated; the lateral feathers much shorter than the middle 

 pair, (difference between their tips much greater than length of bill from nostril,) 

 the middle pair longest; tail not longer than wing, its graduation decidedly less 

 than length of exposed culmen; bill stout; its depth at base nearly or quite equal 

 to length from nostril; a blackish rictal and (usually) submalar streak. Adult: 

 Head and neck buffy olive, the crown heavily streaked, except along middle 

 line, with black, the hind neck much more narrowly streaked; back and scapu- 

 lars chestnut, feathers streaked with black and narrowly edged or bordered with 

 whitish; wings mainly chestnut; a blackish streak behind eye, another from 

 corner of mouth, and another along each side of chin and upper throat ( last 

 sometimes indistinct); chin and throat pale buff or buffy whitish; chest, sides 

 and flanks deeper buffy streaked with blackish; belly whitish. Young: Above, 

 dull brownish buffy, streaked and spotted with black; beneath light buff, the 

 sides (but not chest) streaked with black; a distinct black streak from corner 

 of mouth, but none on side of chin or throat. (Ridgway.) 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 5.25 7.12 2.18 2.10 .70 .46 



Female.. 5.00 6.95 2.12 1.95 .68 .45 



