THE OOLOGIST 



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109 



Late Nesting of the Song Sparrow. 



In THE OOLOGIST (1908, p. 44) Mr. 

 Isaac Van Kammen recorded the late 

 nesting of a Song Sparrow at Grand 

 Rapids, Michigan, where he found a 

 nest on August 7, 1907, containing four 

 badly incubated eggs. 



In Southeastern Pennsylvania it is 

 not uncommon to find Song Sparrows' 

 nests in August and I have the fol- 

 lowing "late" records: 



On August 2, 1900, Samuel Black- 

 shire collected for me a set of three 

 fresh eggs, at Bridesburg, Philadel- 

 phia County. At this locality on Aug- 

 ust 6, 1906, 1 found a nest holding one 

 egg which contained a dead embryo. 

 Both nests were situated in bushes. 



While picking blackberries, Frank 

 Quade, on August 21, 1906, found a 

 nest at Harrowgate, Philadelphia 

 County, containing three fresh eggs, 

 which he collected for the writer. 



At Frankford, this county, on Sep- 

 tember 19, 1906, I found a nest situat- 

 ed six feet up in a vine-entwined bush 

 in a grove of willows; it was almost 

 overturned, caused by the treacherous 

 growth of the vines, and contained 

 one fresh egg, lying on the upright in- 

 side rim, and underneath on the 

 ground, unbroken by its fall, was an- 

 other egg, whose contents was rotten. 

 How long a time the nest was desert- 

 ed it is of course impossible to say, 

 but hardly more than several weeks 

 I am sure. Anyhow, this is my latest 

 record. 



On August 30, 1907, at Bridesburg, 

 Clarence Field found a nest in a clump 

 of blackberry bushes containing four 

 eggs, fresh, as the nest held two on 

 the 28th inst. They were not collect- 

 ed. 



At Oxford Church, Philadelphia 

 County, on August 20, 1908, James B. 

 Black found a nest holding four eggs, 



situated two and one-half feet up in a 

 shrub along the roadside at the edge 

 of a hedgerow. As the eggs were not 

 collected, the incubation was not de- 

 termined. 



Two boys, whose veracity is O. K., 

 informed me that they found a Song 

 Sparrow's nest on September 3, 1909, 

 at Aramingo, Philadelphia County, con- 

 tainirHg- three naked young, situated 

 in a clump of blackberry bushes. 



On August 12, 1910, at McKinley, 

 Montgomery County, I found a nest 

 containing four rotten eggs, situated 

 about a foot up in a shrubby bush on 

 bank along a roadside. When fresh, 

 these eggs were deposited probably 

 about the middle of July. What length 

 of time is necessary for an egg to rot 

 — its contents rather — is not known 

 positively by the writer. 



These few records serve to show 

 that the Song Sparrow, in Southeast- 

 ern Pennsylvania at least, is not a 

 rare breeder in August. All such nests 

 are second or third ones and I have 

 no records of late nests of this specier? 

 being ever situated on the ground. 

 R. F. Miller, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Notes. 



H. H. Bailey of Newport News, Va., 

 reports a nest of the Bluebird with 

 four fresh eggs March 30th. To us 

 this seems very early. 



He also reports unusually large sets 

 for this season, as follows: Osprey 

 1-5, Brown Thrasher 1-5, Wood 

 Thrush 1-5. 



While walking through Humboldt 

 Park, this city, on May 1, 1911, I was 

 surprised to see a female Evening 

 Grosbeak (C. vespertinus) feeding in 

 some grass. It was very tame and al- 

 lowed me to approach within a few 

 feet of it. This is my first record for 

 this species here. 



W. WILKOWSKI, JR, 



Chicago, 111, 



