89 
1876. 
I 
June 1, 
“ iO. 
1876. 
Apr. 26. 
1879. 
Oct. 6. 
II 
Melospizs palustria. 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
A nest with five eggs in the Fresh Pond swamp it 
v/as built in the usual way in a cavity hollowed in a 
bunch of dry last year’s grass which canopied and sur¬ 
rounded it on every side. The swamp sparrow creeps 
quietly out of her nest when you are still a few yards 
away , usually betraying her movements by a slight rust¬ 
ling sound. After gliding a few^ yards she chirps once 
or tv/ice unconcernedly and begins washing herself drink¬ 
ing, or even feeding busily, keeping all the while a 
sharp eye on your movements. The first time I wit¬ 
nessed this, I thought the action sincere and simply the 
result of the birds indifference, but I am now sure that 
this apparent indifference is really assumed and that 
she only makes a show of feeding etc.; the parents of 
three nests found lately have acted precisely in this 
anxious ehriping, no exci¬ 
ted flitting or hopping about; the keen, searching 
glance of the bright little hazel eye alone betraying the 
mother s really intense apprehension. But when I 
begun to take the eggs and the failure of her ruse be¬ 
come apparent, she would flutter hurriedly to the spot 
and even hop into the nest the instant I remo ed my Lnd 
She uttered no noise and made little fuss, simply looking 
tion to go with the nest. 
'"ithin a limited area in the Fresh 
Pond swamps. Two contained five young each, all nearly 
l^go enough to fly; four of one brood, howeier. wer^ 
cold and stiff, Xiiied by the recent hkyy rain whUc 
the single surviver stoon the top of the hLp chirping 
five ^ other two nests contained four and 
five eggs respectirely, all perfectly fresh. They were 
OTidently second nests of two that I took Hay 37 aL June 
shef 'rtthin twenty yards of thj originaj 
Sites. One was m the top of a tussock, the otLr 
under a canopy of dry grass. 
Numbers seen by deano April 24. 
autumn it is not uncommon to find this Sparrow on 
buj Jo’dav^rr^^L'^'' asparagus beds, 
in nit K novel experience of shooting one 
£1^, near the top of Dakin’s Hinn, CoLord; 
borry"L"s^esundergrowth of huckle- 
