MELOSPIZA LINCOLNI, LINCOLN'S SPARROW. 135 



buffiuess viiries in intensity and extent with age and wear of the feath- 

 ers ; it is greatest in birds of the year; an old male, moulting (August 

 9th), shows scarcely any. There is no yellow on the edge of the wing, 

 nor a loral yellow spot, as in G. passerinus ; there are no blackish maxil- 

 lary or pectoral streaks, as in G. henslovii, the markings of the under 

 part of the adult being confined to sparse, sharp, blackish touches along 

 the sides. In the younger birds, however, these may usually be traced 

 across the breast, as is also the case with young passerinus, the adult of 

 which is not, or not noticeably,, marked below. But even the youngest 

 specimen shows no maxillary streaks. There are some peculiarities in 

 the shade and pattern ot the variegation of the upper parts ; the njark- 

 ings of the adults being bold, sharply contrasted and heavily colored. 

 The bill of the old bird is dark horn-blue, lighter bluish below ; that of 

 the young is reddish-brown, paler below ; the feet are flesh-colored at 

 all ages. 



My article in the American Naturalist, here reproduced in substance, 

 continues : 



" I only noticed the birds on one occasion,* August 9th, when a num- 

 ber were found together in the deep green sea of waving grass that 

 rolled over an extensive moist depression of the prairie. Five speci- 

 mens were secured in the course of an hour, not without difficulty ; for 

 the grass being waist-high, the only chance was a snap shot, as the 

 birds, started at random, flitted in sight for a few seconds ; while 

 it was quite as hard to find them when killed. Several seen to fall were 

 not recovered after diligent search. In their mode of flight, the birds 

 resembled Wrens ; a simile which suggested itself to me at the time, 

 was that of a bee returning home laden with pollen ; they flew straight 

 and steadily enough, but rather feebly, as if heavily freighted for their 

 very short wings. The only note I heard was a chirring, like the noise 

 of a grasshopper, Although I found no nest, the circumstances of 

 observation leave no doubt that the birds bred here. They were in 

 company with a number of short-billed Marsh Wrens ; their neighbors 

 of the drier prairie around were Chestnut-collared Buntings, Baird's 

 Buntings, and Sprague's Larks, all very numerous." 



These observations were made near Turtle Mountain, on the border 

 of Dakota, latitude 39°, while I was Surgeon and Natnralist of the 

 Iforthern Boundary Survey, season of 1873. The nest and eggs remain 

 unknown ; another year they may be brought to light. 



MELOSPIZA LIITCOLOT, (Aud.) Bd. 

 Lincoln's Sparrow. 



Fringilla lincohiii, AoD., Orn. Bios. ", 1834, 539, pi. 193.— NuTT., Man. i, 2d ed. 1840, 569. 



Linaria liiicoJiiii, Rich., List, 1837. 



Fasserculun liiicohiii, Bp., List, 1838, 33. 



Feucata Imcohii, AcD., Svn., ls:!9, 113 — AUD., B. A. iii, 1841, 116, pi. 177.— Bp., Consp. Av. 

 18.'0, 481 ; C. R. 185920.— Heerm., P. R. R. Rep. x, 1&G9, pt. vi, 494, (California). 



Zonotrichia liiiii>lnii, WoODH., Sitgr. Rep. 1853,85. — FiNSCH, Ab.Nat.iii, 1872,76(A)aska). 



Mdospha Uneohiil, Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 483.— SCL., P. Z. S. 1858, 303 (Oaxaca) ; 1859, 365 

 (Xalapa). — SCL. & Salv., Ibis, 1850, 18 (Guatemala). — Kenn., P. R. R. Rep. x, 

 1840, part iv, 29 (Arizona).- Hayd., Rep. 186'>, 167 (abundant).— CouEJ, Pr. 

 Phila. Acad. 18G6, 88 (Arizona, Keniierlij). — Allen, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, 1864, 7;!. — 

 COUES, Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1808, 283.— Lawr., Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii, 1866, 286 tNow 

 York). — TuHNB., B. E. Pa. 1869, 23 (rather rare, spring and fall). — Allen, Mem. 



* But after I had written the article for the Naturalist, being then in the lield, I 

 found the species again, early in September, on the head-waters of Mouse River, about 

 the margins of reedy pools, in situations exactly coriespondiug to those the Aiiaiw- 

 ilromi inhabit along the coast. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



