CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 539 



on Clearwater river, lat. 56° 30'; very common on Methye lake 

 to the exclusion of other birds; common in places south to Isle 

 k la Crosse. (/. M. Macoun.) First individual seen at Indian 

 Head, Sask., April 30th, 1892; they were common by the 20th, 

 and bred in considerable numbers; one male was seen at Medicine 

 Hat, Sask., April 30th, 1894; quite common in scrub along the 

 river and creeks by May 5th; a few found breeding at Crane lake, 

 but especially along Skull creek; in the Cypress hills, at the last of 

 June ; they were quite common along the willow thickets bordering 

 the small creeks forming Swift Current creek. This species is 

 always by water, and wherever there is water and brush. We 

 found it from Old Wives creek to Wood mountain and west to 

 Frenchman river, and by aU the creeks issuing from the Cypress 

 hills. Many nests were found on the ground, generally beneath 

 willows. A few individuals were seen in the Milk River valley at 

 Castellated rocks, Alta., also on the west Butte, on the 49th parallel, 

 and at Lee creek farther west; very rare at Banff in the Rocky 

 mountains, breeding in the bushes in the marsh below "the Cave 

 and Basin" in June, 1891 ; first observed one, April 20th, at Edmon- 

 ton, Alta. ; found a nest May 26th and another May 27th with five 

 eggs ; nests, on the ground, composed of dry grass, lined with a little 

 horse hair; common south in th^ foothills to Crow Nest pass; com- 

 mon from mouth of Lesser Slave river to Peace River Landing 

 lat. 56° 15' in June, 1903; common frorii Edmonton to the crossing 

 of McLeod river, north of Edmonton in June, 1898. (Spreadborough.) 



Breeding Notes. — A common breeding bird around Ottawa. 

 Nest in a low bush, or tuft of grass, or on the ground, built of 

 grass, rootlets and vegetable matter, lined with grass and hair. 

 Eggs four, greenish or grayish white spotted with brown, choco- 

 late and lavender. (G. R. White.) Breeding in May, June and 

 July, and occasionally in August in New Brunswick. I would 

 not be surprised if some specialist were to divide our song sparrows 

 into two races. There is certainly a difference in the songs of those 

 in different localities, a great difference in their eggs and the loca- 

 tion of the nest. (W. H. Moore.) Some of the nests are on the 

 ground or sunken in the ground, also in the midst of heaps of dead 

 branches or covered by tufts of tall grass in the, fields or by reeds 

 in the marshes. Others are built in bushes or in small trees to a 

 height of ten feet, and many on the lower branches of large conifers. 



