496 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



taken on 31st May, 1895, contained three fresh eggs. The nest was, 

 on the sloping side of a coulee, placed on the ground under a tuft 

 of grass. It was built chiefly of fine material, the base being leaves 

 of grass, the coarser at the bottom. A few hairs were worked in at 

 the last. Another nest identical in every way was taken 19th June, 

 in a clump of Potentilla gracilis at the edge of a ravine. (Macoun.) 



5406. Oregon Vesper Sparrow. 



Poocaetes gramineus affinis Miller. 1888. 



Western Washington and British Columbia, including Vancouver 

 island. (Ridgway.) West side of Coast range, B.C., and Vancouver 

 island. (Fannin.) A few observed at Chilliwack, B.C., in the 

 spring of 1901 ; and one individual at the mouth, of Tami Hy creek, 

 September 9th of the same year. (Spreadborough.) 



CCXXI. PASSERCULUS Bonaparte. 1838. 

 541. Ipswich Sparrow. 



P asser cuius princeps Maynard. 1872. 



Taken at Lawrencetown near Halifax, N.S., March, 1878. {Mat- 

 thew Jones.) One taken at Point Lepreaux, N.B., April, 1876. 

 (Chamberlain.) On April 7th, 1895, when 260 miles from Halifax, 

 on board the S.S. Labrador bound for Liverpool, two of these spar- 

 rows came on board and remained for some hours ; apparently they 

 were on their way to Newfoundland. (/. H. Fleming.) In the 

 summer of 1899 the writer spent six weeks on Sable island and had 

 ample opportunity to study the habits of this bird. It was the only 

 resident land-bird on the island and all nests found whether new or 

 old belonged to it. Most of those found were scooped out of the 

 sand and built more or less with grass. Many birds winter on the 

 island, and as far as known it is its only breeding grounds. Dr. 

 Jonathan Dwight, jr., of New York, has written a full account of its 

 habits and nesting on the island. In 1902 Mr. W. E. Saunders, of 

 London, Ont., who spent some time on the island, pubUshed a very 

 full account of its life history in the Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. XVI. 

 and in The Auk, Vol. XIX., pp. 267-271, he described the nests and 

 breeding habits of this interesting bird. 



