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ISSUED IN BEHALF OF THE SCIENCE WHICH IT ADVOCATES. 



Volume III, 



AUGUST, 1877. 



Number 6. 



On the Nesting of the Savannah 

 and Yellow-winged Sparrows. 



) OTH of these birds breed more or less 

 commouly iu all the Middle Atlantic 

 and New England States, as well as 

 throughout the United States generally. 

 The former is probably the commoner of 

 the two, but its eggs and nest seem not to 

 be quite as well known. The reason prob- 

 ably is, that it conceals its nest more eiFec- 

 tually than the other, for the situation se- 

 lected, has in our experience been mostly 

 meadows and other fields of tall grass. The 

 Yellow-winged species has been foimd to 

 nest principally in elevated and stubble 

 lands, such as pastures overgrown with 

 weeds, thistles, bushes, etc., more in the 

 manner of the Grass Finch. Both breed 

 about the same time (from May 20 to June 

 20, though nests with full sets of eggs of 

 the Yellow- winged species have been taken 

 as late as August 1, which would indicate 

 that two broods are reared), and build their 

 nests of about the same material, but the 

 Savannah Sparrow has been observed dur- 

 ing the breeding season, to be on the whole, 

 more shy and retired. 



The Savannah Sparrow ( Passercuhcs 

 savanna) commences building on the first 



of May, usually selecting a dry and moder- 

 ately elevated field, not necessarily far from 

 human habitations : indeed, it will as of- 

 ten nest in an orchard as in a remote field. 

 The nest is rather deeply impressed iu the 

 ground, and is ingeniously hidden among 

 the grass. It is constructed of di-ied grass- 

 es, often very strongly twined together, lined 

 with horse-hair, and occa,sionally a few 

 feathers. It is rather deep, symmet- 

 rically hollowed, and withal, handsomer 

 than the nests of the commoner Sparrows. 

 It may be placed sometimes near the base 

 of a tree, a collector here stating that he 

 had found a nest in this position. The eggs 

 are four, ovoidal (some few specimens, 

 however, are nearly spherical, one set of 

 such having come imder our notice) , and as 

 far as can be seen from the heavy blotches 

 of chocolate-brown which cover the entire 

 surface, have a dull, grayish- white ground 

 color. Average specimens measure . 78 inch 

 long by .60 inch in width. When alarmed, 

 the bird glides silently off through the grass 

 before taking flight, and instead of betray- 

 ing the pi'oximity of its nest by flying ex- 

 citedly about, and uttering cries of lamen- 

 tation, it sits quietly on a neighboring fence 

 or bough until the intruder is gone, and 

 the collector is either wholly unaware of 

 the existence of the nest, or is misled as to 

 its true situation. This is probably the 

 cause of so few authentic eggs of this bird 



