Vol. XIX"1 
1902 J 
Saunders, The Ipswich Sparrow . 
269 
grass where the bleached stems of last year had fallen over, thus 
increasing the shelter, the exceptions being placed, one in a clump 
of crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum), one among dark green rushes, 
and three in a field of clover, of the most vivid green, surrounding 
the Superintendent’s house. The former was said to be a favorite 
situation, but such cover was rare on most of the ground where I 
hunted, and only the one was seen, so situated. The nests are 
large, deep and thick, sometimes being heavily lined with horse- 
hair, and always placed in an excavation of one-half to one inch 
in the ground. A few of the incomplete nests were placed in 
holes in hillsides, just such positions as the Junco frequently uses, 
a projecting piece of sod partly sheltering the nest from above. 
The chief ingredient in the construction of all the nests is fine, 
dry grasses ; and frequently these compose the whole of the bottom 
of the nest, there being only a slight difference in the fineness of 
those placed on the ground and those on which the eggs are laid. 
The upper edge of the nest is covered with coarser grasses, with 
a very few weed stems, but the latter increase in number as the 
ground is approached, and at the ground level the weed stems 
predominate. Eel grass is often added and sometimes moss, but 
the centre of the nest against the ground shows from three to six 
square inches of fine grass only. 
The measurements of the nests average as follows: 
Average. 
Extremes. 
Diameter inside 
2\ inches 
2^ inches 
2% inches 
“ outside 
5 “ 
41 “ 
r 1 a 
54 
Depth inside 
2 “ 
ii “ 
2 li 
“ outside 
3 “ 
2| “ 
0 1 “ 
The thickness of the walls is thus shown to vary from one-half 
to two inches. 
The nest in Empetrum was the smallest, all the minimum 
measurements belonging to it, the reason probably being that this 
plant grows so thick that the site selected was too small to hold 
a much larger nest, and the birds have not the art of embracing 
twigs in it, but place it as a rule entirely free from its surroundings. 
The only nest of the Savanna Sparrow to which I have access 
just now, measures 2^ x 4^ in diameter against 2^ x 5, average 
for the Ipswich, and in depth if x 2 J against 2 x 3 for the Ips- 
