52 NORTH AMEinCAX JUHDS. 



During their stay in the United States these birds keep in small distinctive 

 flocks, never minj^ling, tliimj^li often in tiie same places, witli other si)ecies. 

 Tiiey are f'onnd in the edges of tiiickets and in moist woods. They are usu- 

 ally silent, and only occasionally utter a call-note, low and soft. In the 

 spring the male becomes (piite musical, and is one of our sweetest and most 

 remarkable singers. His voice is loud, clear, and melodious ; his notes full, 

 rich, and varied ; and his song is uneciualled by any of tiiis family that 1 have 

 ever heard. They soon become reconciled to confinement and (|uite tame, 

 and sing a good pait of the year if care is taken in regard to their food. If 

 allowed to eat to excess, they become very fat and heavy, and lose their song. 



Dr. Coues did not meet with these birds in Labrador, but Mr, Audubon 

 found them there and in Newfoundland in large numbers ; and, according 

 to the observations of Sir John Eichardsou, they breed in the wooded dis- 

 tricts of the fur countries, up to the (38tli parallel of latitude. 



These birds were also found abundantly at Fort Simpson and Great Slave 

 Lake by Mr. Ilobert Kennicott and Mr. B. 11. Ross ; at Fort Anderson, An- 

 derson liiver, Swan liiver, and in various journeys, by Mr. II. Macl'arlane ; 

 at Fort Resolution, Fort Good Hope, La Pierre House, and Fort Yukon, by 

 Mr. Lockhart ; at Peel's liiver, by Mr. J. Flett ; at St. Michael's, by Mr. 

 H. M. liannister ; and at Nulato, by Mr. W. H. l)all. They were observed at 

 Fort Simpson as early as May 17, and by Mr. Kennicott as late as September 

 17. Mr. Dall states that at Nulato he found this Sjjarrow in abundance. It 

 arrived there from the lOth to tiie lath of May. It breeds there, and its 

 eggs were obtained on the Yukon River. In the month of August in 1867 

 and of July in 1868 it was abundant at the mouth of the Yukon and at 

 St. Michael's. One was also shot at I'nalaklik. The birds seemed to pre- 

 fer thickets to the more open country. Mr. Bannister did not find it abun- 

 dant. He shtr; only one< specimein during the ;Seaso.n, in an alder thicket 

 near the fort ; and Mr. Pease, who was familiar with the species, only saw a 

 single individual. 



According to tlie reports of lioth Mr. MacFarlane and Mr. Kennicott, the 

 nest of this species was found both on the ground and in trees. In one 

 instance it was in a tree about eight feet from the ground, and in its 

 structure was said to lie similar to the nests of Tiirdiis alicia'. Tiiey were 

 nearly all found after the middle of June, a few as early as the 7th. One 

 was found on the ground at the foot of a tuft of dwarf willows, which helped 

 to couceiil it from view. This was comi)osed of coarse hay, lined with 

 some of a finer quality, a few deer-hairs, and a small quantity of fresh and 

 growing moss, intermingled together. In spen':ing of this nest Mr. Mac- 

 F'arlane states that all the nests of this Sparrow he had previously met 

 with had been built in the midst of branches of pine or sju'uce trees, and 

 had been similar to those of tlie T. nlicice, which, in this instance, it did 

 not resemble. He adds that this sjjecies, though not numerous, extended 

 cjuite to the borders of the wooded country, to the north and northwest of 



