SOME NOTES ON NEBRASKA BIRDS. 133 



no description of" its habits are necessary; but to those who are not 

 acquainted with it a few words may be of service. 



A lover of cities and towns and the company and protection of man, 

 this bird has become exceedingly numerous. It is very pugnacious, 

 incessantly fighting with its own kind, as well as with all other birds 

 that it can overawe by its repeated onslaughts. In this way it soon 

 drives away orioles, bluebirds, wrens, etc., that would otherwise make 

 their homes in our parks. Among the many other charges that have 

 been made against this bird is that of injury to fruits; and I believe 

 that much of the blame that has been laid to the orioles, robins, and 

 thrushes should be laid to him. Quoting from Bulletin No. 1 of the 

 Division of Economic Orinthology and Mammology, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, we have the following: 



"Among fruits, grapes appear to suffer most, and, although many 

 grapes are raised without protection in places where sparrows are con- 

 sidered fairly abundant, there is every reason to believe that sooner or 

 later this bird will discover and injure them wherever its increase is 

 tolerated. It has been shown that grape buds are frequently destroyed 

 in the early spring, and the fact that one hundred and twenty-seven 

 observers, representing twenty-six states and the District of Columbia, 

 now (1888) bear witness to injury to ripening fruit, may well cause 

 apprehension among grape-growers who have not suffered any loss as 

 vet " * * * 



"Those who have watched closely the movements of the sparrow 

 when among the grapes agree that he pecks many more grapes than 

 he eats, and his actions at such times, together with the fact that he 

 frequently picks off leaves and shoots, which he does not eat, lend 

 some color to the statements that he willfully destroys simply for the 

 pleasure of destruction.'^ 



534. Plectrophenax nivalis (Linn.). — Snow Bunting; Snow- 

 flake. 



West Point, Omaha, Norfolk, Sidney, etc. (L. Bruner); "abundant in Ne- 

 braska in winter" (Aughey); "Winter resident, common, has been seen in 

 November and February" (Taylor); "Casually to Georgia, southern Illinois, 

 and Kansas" (Goss); Omaha (L. Skow); Omaha, "irregular migrant and 

 winter resident, Nov. 5 to March 1" (I. S. Trostler); Sioux county, Feb. 19, 

 1896 (L. Bruner). 



536. Galcarius lapponicus {Linn.), — Lapland Longspur. 



West Point, Lincoln (L. Bruner); "Present in Nebraska " (Aughey) ; 

 "South in winter to Kentucky, southern Illinois, Kansas, etc." (Goss); Beat- 



