Nov. 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



191 



finest nest I ever saw. With the exception of 

 being deeper, it is the shape of the Eed-ej-ed 

 Vireo's nest (Vireo oUvncea). The dimensions 

 of it are depth three inches and breadth about 

 the same ; the walls are quite thick. Outward- 

 ly it is composed of small bits of green moss, 

 bits of wasps' nests and a verj' fine white mate- 

 rial which I thinlv is the capsules of spiders" 

 nests. The lining is of the same material as 

 the Red-eye's. The eggs are pearly wliite, 

 with large spots of chestnut forming a ring 

 around the birger end. The average size of the 

 nest complement is .75 x .58 inches, making the 

 eggs nearly spherical in shape. At the date of 

 taking the above set imaibation was far ad- 

 vanced. 



I tliink the Yellow-throated Vireo will be 

 found more common in Ontario as the collec- 

 tors increase. Their favorite homes during 

 their sojourn with us are in the higii woods, so 

 common to this Province. Tiieir song is com- 

 posed of five or six syllables emitted with 

 much vigor. 



In my estimation this species ranks the high- 

 est in the family ( Vireonidce) for song and 

 plumage. 



Lincoln's Sparrow and its Nesting. 



BY G. F. HKENNIN(;EK, FOKT COLLINS, COL. 



The habits and breeding of the IJucoln's 

 Sparrow {Mclospiza lincolni) is rai-elj^ met 

 with and but very little being known of its 

 nidification, perhaps a short account of \\\y 

 experience with the bird may prove of interest 

 to my many oological friends. The place 

 where I first became acquainted with this spe- 

 cies was at a considerable height in the Rockj' 

 Mountains, very close to 12,000 feet above sea 

 level. While strolling along over a small level 

 tract of land on the maigin of the north fork of 

 the Cache-la-poudre River, just at a point 

 where the river made a sharp bend and its 

 waters were rushing forward with that wild 

 increasing rush which prevails so commonly 

 in mountainous streams, I had been climbing 

 up and around the rugged mountain sides until 

 I was almost exhausted, and overcome by thirst 

 I sought the cool supply aftbrded by tlie river 

 to quench my thirst, and by so doing was how 

 I came across the home circles of the rare Lin- 

 coln's Sparrow. The grass was some sixteen 

 or twentj' inches high, intermingled with dead 

 limbs, overgrown and almost concealed from 

 sight, so that while the naturalist's eye is fol- 



lowing some bird as it passes from sight among 

 tlie dark spruces which cover tiie higher 

 grounds, at tlie next moment one may be not 

 very agreeably surprised by being entangled in 

 some such underbrush and concealed limbs, 

 and tumbled lengthwise on the ground. I was 

 carefully guarding against any such mishaps, 

 and making my way for the river the best way 

 I could, when I stepped aside to avoid a gully 

 washed out by |)revious rains or melting snow. 

 In so doing, before me, or rather a little to the 

 side, I Hushed a bird. At first sight it ap- 

 peared very much like some small ground ro- 

 dent beating a hasty retreat toward safety, but 

 on closer examination I saw that it was a small 

 brownish bird. Instead of flying it ran along 

 the ground at an immense speed from its nest, 

 which I was not very long in finding. Under 

 an overhanging tuft of long green grass snugly 

 concealed was the nest. It was partly sunken 

 in the ground and roughly lined with ih'ad 

 grass, weeds, stems and a few pine needles. It 

 was on the edge of the gully. Tlie nest con- 

 tained two young birds partly fledged. 



I spent a few moments endeavoring to see 

 the parent bird, which I succeeded in doing. 

 The bird was unknown to me at the time, so I 

 deteiniined to obtain one, which 1 also accom- 

 plished, and afterwards learned its name. Ful- 

 ly satisfied I proceeded to the river's edge and 

 there I quenched my thirst. I sat down to 

 rest and to make entries in my note-book, and 

 enjoyed myself watching the Hocky Jlountain 

 Bluebirds pass over. 



The solitary yet pleasing note of a Water 

 Ouzel was heard, which undoubtedly had its 

 hidden nest of moss close by, though I failed 

 to find it. 



These birds are quite common above the ele- 

 vation of 11,000 feet, and the coming season I 

 hope will enable me to give the readers of this 

 journal a more full account of this Sparrow 

 with the color and number of eggs laid in a set. 

 This latter fact I believe is not very fully estab- 

 lished, as I see several authors of works on Or- 

 nithology of recent dates difter quite widely 

 upon this Sparrow. Even at so late a date as 

 July 5th, the day I spent on the river, a great 

 many of the birds were still incubating their 

 eggs, but in most cases they were far advanced. 



Early Appearance of Snowy Owl. 



A Snowy Owl, the first of the season, was 

 received by Mr. F. B. Webster, October 20th. 

 It came from Vergenues, Vt. 



