Melospiza lincolni. 
1092 Mass. 
October Arlington. 
I wrote you that Hoffmann and I found a Lincoln' s Sparrow 
near Mystic Pond on the 7th, within five minutes wall: of this 
house. Yesterday morning I went there again (before breakf ast ) 
and approached the same clump of bushes cautiously, without going 
near enough to startle the birds. There he was again in the same 
bush. I watched him for five minutes as he sat preening his feath- 
ers. Not having been startled he was not in the least shy, but 
sat in full view, much of the time on a bare branch. I noticed 
that at one time he arranged his feathers so that a spot appeared 
on his breast, much as in a Savannah Sparrow's. His notes were 
a tsup and a tseep- the latter much 1 ihe a Song Sparrow's tseep . 
but yet it seemed to me slightly different. 
This morning we called on the Lincoln's Pinch again at 6 
o'clock. We found the clump of bushes full of sparrows warming 
up after the frosty night. The first one we laid our eyes on was 
a White crown in full plumage. The next was our Lincoln, then a 
number of Song and Swamp Sparrows. A pretty good assemblage to 
gather in one bush. The flight of a l incolni Ls much more like 
a Song than a Swamp Sparrow's, but he does not flirt his tail so 
much as the Song. 
It would appear, then, that this Lincoln sleeps every night 
in the same bush. As last night was very favorable for migration 
I was rather surprised that he did not depart. Mr. Hoffmann tell* 
sY 
