226 THE BIRDS 
[549]. Passerherbulus caudacutus (Gmelin). Sharp- 
tailed Sparrow. 
Ranez.—Salt marshes of Atlantic Coast. Breeds in 
Transition and Upper Austral zones from Massachusetts 
to Virginia; winters in salt marshes from New Jersey 
(casually from Massachusetts) to Florida. 
These birds breed more abundantly along the salt 
marshes of the northwestern side of Chesapeake Bay than 
on the Cape Charles Peninsula 01 coastal islands, the 
latter place being the natural haunts of the following 
species. During the mild winters many remain with us, 
but during the last week in April and first week in May, 
large numbers pass along our coastline northward. As 
with the Seaside Sparrow, the nests are well concealed in 
the long marsh grass at or near the foot of some bush 
or large bunch of grasses, or under dry seaweed, and other 
trash thrown up by the equinoctial tides. It is composed 
of dry marsh grass and stems, lined with finer marsh 
grasses, seldom placed over three or four inches above 
ground, even when located in the foot of the sage bush. 
The eges, four to five in number, average a trifle smaller 
than the Seaside Sparrow, size, .75.x.55, the ground color 
a grayish-white, and spotted and specked with reddish- 
brown. The birds are hard to flush; even when disturbed 
from the nest they prefer running away unless too closely 
pursued, when they fly only a short distance to the top 
of some near-by bush or tall bunch of grass, and disappear 
below. Fresh eggs May 15th to 20th, only one brood a 
season. Their food cosists of insects and marine life 
gathered along the marsh flats and in the tall marsh grass 
at low tide. During high tides they seek the higher 
ground bordering the marshes, where from under the 
serubby foliage it is almost impossible to flush them. 
