SWAMP SPARROW. O29 
MELOSPIZA LINCOLNI (Aud.) Bd. 
; Liincoln’s Minch. 
Melospiza lincolni, WAKATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 379 (probable) ; Food of Birds, etc., 
Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566; Reprint, 1875, 6.—Lan@pon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 
8; Jour. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist, i, 1878, 114; Reprint, 5; Revised List, Jour. Cin. Soc. 
Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 183; Reprint, 22. 
Fringilla lincolnii, ACDUBON, Orn. Biog., 11 1834, 539, 
Melospiza lincolntit, BAIRD, Birds N. Am., 1858, 433. f 
Below, white, breast banded and sides often shaded with yellowish ; everywhere except 
on the belly, thickly and sharply streaked with dusky; above, grayish-brown, crown 
and back with blackish, brownish, and paler streaks; tail grayish-brown, the feathers 
usually showing blackish shaft lines; wings the same, the coverts and inner quills 
blackish, with bay and whitish edgings; no yellow on wings or head. Length, 54; wing 
and tail about 24 
Habitat, the whole of North America. Mexico. Guatemala. 
Not uncommon spring and fall migrant in May and October. Fre- 
quents woodland undergrowth, brush-piles, and banks of streams in 
spring, weedy woodlands and high weeds and grass in swampy places 
in the fall. In the vicinity of Columbus it makes its way silently north- 
ward in spring, not associating with other sparrows, and seldom in the 
company of its own kind. It is rather shy and retiring, hiding in 
brush-heaps. Its flight is quick and straight, but low. In the fall it 
frequently associates with Swamp Sparrows, which it somewhat resem- 
bles in appearance and habits. I found them quite abundant at the 
Licking Reservoir, October 17, 1874, in the tall grass of the low borders 
of the Reservoir, in company with Swamp, White-throated, and White- 
crowned Sparrows. Mr. C. J. Orton has taken it at Sandusky, and Mr. 
W. H. Gaylord at Cleveland. I have seen one individual in my garden 
in May. With us it is the most silent of all the Sparrows. I do not 
remember to have ever heard it chirp. At its breeding places it is said 
to have a sweet song. ’ 
Lincola’s Finch is most abundant west of the Mississippi River, and 
though found in several of the Hastern States, is rare. It breeds from 
Wisconsin and Northern New York northward. The nest, which is 
‘placed upon the ground, is built of grass; the eggs are greenish-white, 
more or less thickly spotted and blotched with different shades of reddish- 
brown. They measure .74 by .56. 
MELOsPIZA PALUSTRIS (Wils.) Bd. 
Swamp Sparrow. 
Pringilla palustris, KIRTLAND, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164.—Reap, Proc. Phila. Acad. 
Nat. Sci., vi, 1853, 395. 
