TOWNSEND AND ALLEN: LABRADOR BIRDS. 401 



dor journal for June 27, 1833. The locality was American Harbor 

 near the mouth of the Natashquan River. He says: "We shot a 

 new species of Finch, which I have named Fringilla lincolnii-; it is 

 allied to the Swamp Sparrow in general appearance, but is consider- 

 ably smaller, and may be known at once from all others thus far 

 described, by the light buff streak which runs from the base of the 

 lower mandibles, until it melts into the duller buff of the breast, and 

 by the bright ash-streak over the eye. The note of this bird attracted 

 me at once; it was loud and sonorous; the bird flew low and forward, 

 perching on the firs, very shy, and cunningly eluding our pursuit; 

 we, however, shot three, but lost one. I shall draw it to-morrow." 

 He named the bird after one of his party, Thomas Lincoln, of Dennis- 

 ville, Maine. 



Bigelow says the Lincoln's Sparrow is common as far north as 

 Hamilton Inlet on the wooded parts of the coast. Turner, however, 

 found it as far north as Fort Chimo where he states it is rare. He 

 obtained a male there on June 10, 1883. This is the only record we 

 have for the north of Hamilton Inlet. The bird does not seem to be 

 found in the interior. Dr. John Macoun writes us, under date of 

 March 16, 1906, that it is not found at Lake Mistassini, and that he 

 has no record of its occurrence in the interior of northern (Labrador) 

 Quebec. 



We found Lincoln's Sparrow only at Mary Harbor on July 12th 

 where we saw four; and at Cape Charles where on the 28th, 29th, 

 and 30th of July we saw 4, 10, and 4, respectively. We had previously 

 found it common at Bay of Islands, Newfoundland. It was every- 

 where very retiring, skulking among the thick growths of evergreens 

 and only a few times did we hear it sing in Labrador. It sang as late 

 at the 29th and 30th of July. In singing it keeps concealed so that 

 it is very difficult to see the performer. The song that we heard was 

 a wild, hurried warble, somewhat like that of the Purple Finch but 

 quicker, ending at times with a fainter trill suggestive of a House 

 Wren. Its call note was a sharp chip and it also occasionally emitted 

 a smack, probably an alarm note. 



