
" 
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g 
RARER BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 633 
have been found. The first nest found in this state was dis- 
covered by Mr. E. S. Wheeler, in Berlin, and the fact is 
recorded in the seventh volume of the Proceedings of the 
Boston Society of Natural History (page 137). This species 
was at first wrongly identified as Peucea Backmanii Aud 
(=P. estivalis Baird), and as such stands recorded in the 
sixth volume of the same Proceedings (p. 21). The mis- 
take was corrected, however, on p. 74 of the same volume, 
so that Peucea estivalis has never been included nor referred 
to as a bird of Massachusetts in any of the lists of the birds 
of the state, or of New England. 
In respect to C. Henslowii, Mr. Maynard informs me it 
has been confounded with C. passerinus by a number of 
collectors, and that it seems to be more common at some 
localities in the state than the latter. 
WHITE-CROWNED Sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys Sw. 
Rare in all parts of the state, and thus far not known to 
breed in Massachusetts, though it may do so among the 
mountains in the western counties. Though mentioned by 
Dr. Coues as “usually common, but of somewhat irregular 
occurrence” in New England, * the score or more of collec- 
tors with whom I am acquainted all look upon it as one of 
. . Our rarest species in Massachusetts. Some have never met 
with it. More to the westward, however, it is quite com- 
mon. In Wayne county, New York, I found it as numerous 
in May, 1867, as the White-throated Sparrows usually are 
in New England. 
WHITE-THROATED Sparrow. Zonotrichia albicollis Bon. 
A pair of these birds, probably the same pair, has been ob- 
served by Mr. R. B. Hildreth at Springfield during the last 
three summers. Though he has not succeeded in discovering 
their nest, he this year observed them feeding their scarcely 
fledged young. He reports that they have become very 
familiar and readily answer his call. Though breeding nu- 
Sn Aa Ne eS eke ee 1E ILS 

















` *List of the Birds of New England, 1. c. p. 282. 
AMER. NATURALIST, VOL. III. 
