Field SpAKEOW.-The first nests of this 
bird will be found in old fields or by the 
roadsides in tufts of dry grass, some- 
times in low cedars not over one or two 
feet from the ground. As vegetation 
commences, they build in blackberry 
bushes or other deciduous shrubs above 
the level of the ground. 
Note on the Field Sparrow {Spizella pusilla). — On the morning 
of the 8th of May, 1880, while gathering wild flowers on the banks of 
a running brook in a meadow I found a nest of the Field Sparrow {Spizella 
pusilla) containing four eggs. I had almost trodden upon the nest and 
my first impression of its location was the fluttering at my feet of the 
female bird as she left her charge at my too near approach. On the morn- 
ing of the 12th the nest contained six eggs and as one of them was much 
warmer than the others I presumed it had just been laid. I visited the 
nest frequently and on the morning of the 19th five birds were hatched 
and the sixth egg chipped. Supposing the bird to have commenced setting 
immediately after laying the last egg the period of incubation could not 
have exceeded seven days — one hundred and sixty-eight hours. Con- 
tinuing my visits at irregular intervals I noticed the rapidity of growth in 
the nestlings. The nest was not large enough to contain them all ; on the 
24th one of the little birds was sitting just outside but close to the nest, 
and on the afternoon of the 25th I found the nest empty. Reclining on 
the grass awhile I soon heard a faint chirp somewhat resembling the noise 
of young crickets, and in a few seconds several of them, and as the parents 
appeared with food for the little ones a hurried fluttering from various 
places within the space of a square rod revealed the presence of the family. 
The next day the young birds could fly two or three rods at a time and 
procure a portion of their food. Sixteen days from the commencement 
of incubation the young seemed to be able to take care of themselves. 
The adult birds appeared to become familiar in some degree with my visits 
and exhibited less uneasiness towards the close than at the beginning, and 
the male occasionally sung his richly musical strain, which resembles a 
combination of some of the notes of the Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia) 
and the Grass Finch {Pcecetes gramineus). 
The mean temperature of the air during incubation week — from May 
12 to 19 — was 57.61°; the extremes, 46° on the 14th and 88° on the 17th ; 
rainfall, 0.21 inches on the 13th. The mean temperature from the 19th to 
the 25th was 68.14°; the extremes, 52° on the 19th and 88° on the 25th; 
rainfall, 0.23 inches on the 23d. — Elisha Slade, Somerset,, Mass. 
Bull. N.O.C. 6, April, 1881. P* //6 
Large Eggs of the Field Sparrow. 
Nesting of the Field Sparrow at 
Raleigh, N. C. in 1888 . 
BY O. S. BRIMEEY. 
These birds began laying May 7th, and a nest 
with about halt incubated eggs was found Aug. 
2nd, this however, is not surprising as I found 
my last nest last year on Aug 26th, being the 
latest date I have ever found birds eggs in this 
pcality. 
The nests were built of grass, or weed stems 
suallv lined with horsehair and usually placed 
1 small bushes or weed tussaeks, two-thirds of 
ie number being from one inch to one foot 
:om the ground, the remaining third being 
:om eighteen inches to five feet in height, 
he favorite situation seems to be on sloping 
illsides in small thorn bushes, but the birds 
re not particular, being abundant everywhere 
1 this locality. The set complement was al- 
ost invariably four in the early part of the 
lason, though even then some nests only con- 
ined three; but towards the end of the season 
hen the second or third layings were in pro- 
cess, the set was more usually three than four. 
Id Nesting Site of a Field Sparrow. 
BY J. F. NORRIS, JR. 
)n June 30th, 1880, I found a nest of the 
dd Sparrow ( Spizella pusilla ) in Chester 
unty, Pennsylvania, in a Hawthorn hedge, 
;ht feet from the ground. 
The nest and eggs (three in number) were in 
respect remarkable, but what caused the 
ds to build in such a high situation is a 
rstery. 
O &0. XIII. Dec. 1888 p.189 
In reviewing some back volumes of the 
“ O. & O.,” I noticed the article in November 
number, 1888, “Remarkable eggs of the 
Field Sparrow,” by Mr. J. P. Norris, in which 
he records an unusually large egg, measuring 
| .79 x .55. It is one of a set of three, the 
| others being of normal size. 
I have in my collection a still larger set, 
both in size and number, it being a set of 
|five collected by me June 9, 1884. All of 
the eggs in this set are abnormally large, 
| measuring as follows : .81 x .55 ; .80 x .54 ; 
•80X.53; .77X.51; .75 x. 51. The nest 
was built in a hazlenut bush, two feet from 
the ground, in a bushy pasture. 
To illustrate the great variation in size 
and shape of the eggs of this species I will 
give the measurements of a set of four col- 
lected May 26, 1891, the nest just raised 
from off the ground in a bunch of goldenrod : 
.62X.52; .63X.52; .64X.50; .67X.52. 
This is one of our most common birds in 
the breeding season, and displays as much 
variation in the situation of the nest as in 
their eggs. I have found them on the ground 
//, 
Remarkable Eggs of the Field Spar- 
row. 
BY J. P. N. 
During the past season I received a large and 
beautiful series of sets of eggs of the Field 
Sparrow {Spizella pusilla) from North Carolina. 
One of the sets contains an egg which is so 
large that it seems worthy of having its size 
placed on record. It measures ,79x.55, and in 
shape and coloration is an exact counterpart of 
the two other eggs comprising the set, which 
are of normal size (.6Sx .51.) 
And in this connection it may be said that 
unless one has seen a large series of eggs of 
this species it is difficult to imagine how great 
their variation is in size, shape and coloration. 
o &Q. XIII. Nov. 1888 p.164 
5 ? 
O. AO.Vol.18, June, 1893 p.95 
