THE BIOLOGICAL REVIEW. 57 



PASSERELLA I LI AC A, 1888- 1894. 



My first experience with this large and handsome Sparrow 

 occurred during the first year of my scientific collecting, and 

 such was the interest manifest in the birds I had collected, and 

 so unusual seemed the report I made of them, I decided to 

 look more closely for the bird in future and keep accurate records 

 •of my observations, and they are not without success. 



In October 1888, I was collecting on Well's Hill, north of 

 Toronto, when I startled several of the birds which were feeding 

 on the ground at the edge of the bush among a few small witch- 

 hazels. I secured two specimens. I allowed the birds to stand 

 until they were too far gone to preserve. Gathering up the 

 unskinned birds with some other bodies, I took them to Dr. 

 Brodie, who wished to examine stomachs. I was greatly sur- 

 prised and annoyed to find that I had met with a flock of birds 

 supposed to be very scarce about Toronto and had allowed 

 myself to be contented with two specimens when I might have 

 taken six or eight, and had even allowed those to spoil. The 

 next time I met them was on October 26, 1889, when I col- 

 lected one specimen in a swamp north of St. Clair Avenue, as 

 recorded in the Proc. Orn, sub. C.I., No. 1, p. 118. This was 

 mounted and is now in the collection of the Canadian Institute. 

 This was the only one I heard of that year. On April 13, 

 1890, I came on a large flock of the birds in the University 

 ravine, altogether about twenty-five or thirty birds were dis- 

 tinctly counted hunting among the old leaves, and several males 

 were warbling their beautiful little song from the tops of the 

 beeches. This account was recorded in Proc. C.I., No. 2, p. 29. 

 That season I collected five specimens, of which Dr. Brodie, 

 Mr. Cross and J. R. Thurston respectively obtained one. 



In the fall of 1890 they returned to their old haunts, and I 

 secured six, as recorded in Proc. C.I., No. 2, p. 53, of these Mr. 

 Cross obtained two, and J. R. Thurston one. 



In the spring of 1891 I was again on the lookout, and as 

 regular as clockwork the birds appeared at their former haunts, 

 and I. secured five, and on the return migration in the fall I took 

 nine. In the spring of 1892 the Fox Sparrows arrived in their 

 usual numbers, and I secured seven of them. 



