CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 473 



myself on the west slope of Duck Mountain to the north of the 

 province. (Thompson-Seton) In June, 1896, this species was 

 breeding in a marsh at Sewell, Manitoba. (Macoun.) First seen 

 at Indian Head, Assa., May 12th, 1892, next seen June 23rd, when 

 two nests were found; each nest contained five eggs; nest made 

 of dried grass under a tuft on the ground. First seen at Edriion- 

 ton, Alta., late in May, 1897; "^ot common, only observed about 

 a dozen , altogether ; breeding in wet ground ; common on 

 Si'agg's Creek, about 40 miles from Calgary, June 28th, 1897 ; a 

 few were breeding in a marsh at Peace River Landing, Atha.,Lat.. 

 56° 15', June 1903; and one individual was seen west of the 

 Grande Prairie in August. (Spreaddorougk.) 



Breeding Notes.^ — On June 23rd, 1892, I found two nests of 

 this species. Each nest contained five eggs. The nest was placed 

 in old grass close to the ground, and was made of the same. The 

 land was low but not wet. The female was shot as she left the 

 nest. {Spreadborough^ In June, 1893, Mr. G. F. Dippie and 

 myself were fortunate in discovering the nest and eggs of this 

 species which were previously little known. This was at Rae- 

 burn, Man., since then I have found several more nests of Le- 

 conte's sparrow in Manitoba and Assiniboia, all were made of fine 

 dry grass and nothing else and were invariably built in a tuft of 

 marsh hay a few inches above the ground. The eggs are greenish- 

 white speckled at the largest end with ashy-brown and are small, 

 •65 X -50 inches. {W. Raine.) On June 12th, 1896, the writer was 

 collecting in a swamp south of Sewell, on the Canadian Pacific 

 Railway and came on the nest of a bird new to him. The follow- 

 ing is from his notebook and evidently refers to this species. " In 

 the open swamp I found another nest in the grass," almost touch- 

 ing the water which here was standing in the. grass and was evi- 

 dently permanent as Menyanthes trifoliata and Calla palustris grew 

 close by. When the bird arose I thought it was a clay-coloured 

 sparrow, but on looking into the nest saw four eggs about the 

 same size as the sparrow's but the large end was completely 

 covered with a deep shade of brown which shaded off into a 

 lighter colour and became mottled with a lightish-green. Three 

 eggs were as above, but one was much lighter in colour and hence 

 more distinctly mottled. They were much incubated and were 

 injured in blowing. \ refer the eggs to Leconte's sparrow. 



