i8o 



THE NIDIOIvOGISt. 



Henslotc's Sparrotc Nesting in 

 Michigan. 



IT was oil May 30, 1894, tliat Messrs. A. 

 B. Covert and R. H. Wolcott, of Ann 

 Arbor, and myself were searching care- 

 fully the locality where, about two weeks 

 before, we had observed the presence of 

 Avtmodrainus /icnslowii and had secured a 

 single specimen, as noted by Mr. Covert in 

 June Oo/ogist. 



Fays Lake is situated in the township of 

 Norwell C4 S. — 2 E.). Jackson county, 

 Michigan; latitude, 42 degs. 13 sees. North. 

 Lying about this lake, the shores of which 

 are generally of a sandy nature, is a broad 

 stretch of marshy ground, clothed originall}^ 

 with a tamarack forest, which perished 

 when the beaver sought to widen its domain 

 by dam mint: the outlet and throwing the 

 water over the adjacent low swamps. 

 Later, when the shore-line of the lake was 

 again lowered b}' breaking these dams, the 

 mucky soil grew up thickly with coarse 

 sedges and weeds. The annual spring- 

 time high water has caused this herbage to 

 grow in tufts and bogs, while scattered over 

 the entire tract, and in some places nearly 

 covering the surface, is a woody plant, 

 about eighteen inches high, locally known 

 as hardback or wild sage. This low 

 ground, bordered on some parts by thick 

 tamarack swamp and on others by oak- 

 covered hills, is one of the very few spots 

 in Michigan where Henslow 's Sparrow has 

 been found, and here le.ss than a dozen in- 

 dividuals, all told, have been observed. 



Here on this day we had already taken 

 nests of American Bittern, King Rail, 

 Swamp and Song Sparrows, and Maryland 

 Yellow-throat, yet we were somewhat dis- 

 appointed in not being able to call the at- 

 tention of certain doubting brothers, in our 

 favorite study, of this vState, to the fact that 

 Henslow 'SvS])arrow had not only been taken 

 but had actually been found nesting in 

 Michigan. We noted two of the species 

 during our search, but fortune seemed not 



to favor our desire, although we were quite 



convinced that they were nesting here. 



As I was walking slowlv over this marshy 

 ground on my way home a small bird 

 flushed from my very feet and dropped into 

 the weeds a few yards away. I did not get 

 a fair look at her, and she could not again 

 be seen, but was sure that she was a Spar- 

 row of some species. With little trouble I 

 discovered a nest containing five eggs, 

 which struck me as being so peculiar — 

 quite small and oddly marked for either 

 Swamp, Field or Song Sparrows — that the 

 nest was marked and left for positive iden- 

 tification in the future. 



Absence from home prevented my again 

 visiting the nest until June 8, when, in 

 company with Howard B. Baker of Lansing, 

 I again approached its immediate vicinity. 

 Gun in hand, I stealthily made my way to- 

 ward the trembling nettle stock bearing the 

 tuft of cotton which I had twisted upon it 

 to mark the spot. But the bird was indeed 

 sharp and had left the eggs, which, how- 

 ever, were still warm, so I knew that they 

 were not deserted. I passed on and roamed 

 about the marsh for half an hour, when I 

 returned, this time to catch a glimpse of the 

 sitter as she hopped into the herbage. 

 Calling for my friend to help me, I followed 

 her closely, and after several times seeing 

 the sly bird as she dodged here and there, 

 we finally flushed her, and a snap shot with 

 No. 12's brought her down, badly mutilated, 

 at the clo.se range, but easily identified as 

 Henslow 's Sparrow. I will not say that I 

 succeeded in making the mangled mass of 

 bone, flesh and feathers into a "skin," for 

 such it can hardly be called, but she forms 

 a specimen in my collection as proof of cor- 

 rect identification. 



So the much-sought nest was at last 

 found, and the female, nest and eggs secured 

 for future reference. The eggs, five in 

 number, were white, with a greenish tinge 

 before being blown, speckled throughout 

 with fine reddish spots, forming a more or 

 less perfect wreath about the larger end. 



