Part 30

The underparts are but slightly streaked, the crown is striped, and the nape reddish brown. L. 5.

Range. Nesting in the interior of North America from our border States, northward and east to Minnesota; migrates southward and south-eastward, and winters locally from South Carolina to Florida and Texas.

Glen Ellyn, not common T.V., May 4-?; Sept. 8-Oct. 6. SE. Minn, uncommon S.R., May 1-Oct. 17.

This is the third and rarest member of the trio of small, retiring Sparrows of which the Grasshopper Sparrow is the commonest. It is found east of the Mississippi only in the winter when it may be associated with the Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows.

SHARP-TAILED SPARROW

Passerherbulus caudacutus. Case 6, Fig. 47

A buffy Sparrow with the underparts sharply streaked with black. L. 5-3/4.

Range. Salt marshes of the Atlantic coast; nests from Virginia to Massachusetts; winters from New Jersey to Florida.

Cambridge, formerly common S.R., but occurs no longer.

An abundant inhabitant of salt marshes. There is, or was, a colony on the Hudson River immediately south of the long pier from which Piermont takes its name, but with this exception I have never seen this Sparrow beyond the sound of the surf. It runs about through the thick marsh grasses taking wing only when hard pressed. Its song is short and insignificant. It nests on the ground, the 3-4 grayish white, finely speckled eggs being laid in late May or early June.

NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW

Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni

Resembles the Sharp-tailed but is smaller and has the throat, breast and sides deeper, very slightly, if at all, streaked with blackish; the upperparts more broadly margined with whitish. L. 5-1/2.

Range. Nests in the interior from South Dakota northward to Great Slave Lake; migrates south to Texas and southeast through New York and Massachusetts to North Carolina and Florida.

Washington, rare T.V., May-Sept. Ossining, tolerably common T.V., Sept. 28-Oct. 17. Cambridge, formerly uncommon T.V. Glen Ellyn, one record, Oct. 2, 1893. SE. Minn., uncommon T.V.

This is a fresh-water representative of the Sharp-tail which nests in the prairie sloughs of the interior and reaches the Atlantic coast during its migrations and in the winter. It resembles the Sharp-tail in habits and when on the coast, may be found associated with it.

The Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow (P. n. subvirgatus) is similar to the Sharp-tailed Sparrow but is paler above; the throat, breast and sides are washed with cream-buff and indistinctly streaked with ashy. It nests on the salt marshes of the Atlantic coast from Maine to Cape Breton and in Prince Edward Island; and winters from South Carolina to Florida. In general habits it resembles the two preceding.

The three Sharp-tails may be distinguished chiefly by the color and markings of the breast. In the Sharp-tail these are pale buff distinctly streaked with blackish. In Nelson's they are deep buff lightly if at all streaked. In the Acadian they are cream-buff indistinctly streaked with grayish. The Sharp-tail may be known from the other two by its distinct black marks below, but the other two cannot certainly be distinguished from each other in life where both may be expected to occur.

SEASIDE SPARROW

Passerherbulus maritimus maritimus. Case 6, Fig. 46

An olive-greenish Sparrow, with a yellow mark before the eye and on the bend of the wing; the underparts not distinctly streaked. L. 6.

Range. Salt marshes of the Atlantic Coast; nests from Virginia to Massachusetts; winters from Virginia to Georgia.

In the Piermont marsh, referred to under the Sharp-tailed Sparrow, there are Seasides as well as Sharp-tails, but this is the only place in which I have seen Seasides away from the sea. There they are abundant in the grassy marshes. Their song is weak and unattractive. Like the Sharp-tail they nest on the ground, laying 3-4 white or bluish white eggs, clouded or finely speckled with cinnamon-brown, the latter part of May.

This northern Seaside Finch is migratory, coming the latter part of April and remaining until the latter half of October, but in the South there are several races which for the most part are resident in the same locality throughout the year. Thus we have:

Macgillivray's Seaside Sparrow (P. m. macgillivraii).--Atlantic Coast from North Carolina south to Matanzas Islet, Florida. Dusky Seaside Sparrow (P. nigrescens), an almost black species from Merritt's Island, at the head of Indian River, Florida. Cape Sable Sparrow (P. m. mirabilis), Cape Sable, Florida. Scott's Seaside Sparrow (P. m. peninsulæ), Gulf Coast of Florida from Tampa to St. Marks; Northwest Florida Sparrow (P. m. juncicola) Coast of Florida west of St. Marks; Alabama Seaside Sparrow (P. m. howelli), Coast of Alabama and Mississippi. Louisiana Seaside Sparrow (P. m. fisheri), Coast of Louisiana to Northeast Texas; and Sennett's Seaside Sparrow (P. m. sennetti), Coast of Texas from Galveston at least to Corpus Christi.

LARK SPARROW

Chondestes grammacus grammacus. Case 7, Fig. 19

The chestnut and white head markings and the white-tipped tail-feathers are conspicuous field-marks. L. 6-1/4.