Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 185 



from the pine woods of the Gulf States northward, and winters 

 in the southern United States from Florida to eastern Texas. 

 Replaced in the West by the subspecies S. sac. arizonae. 



In Missouri a common and universally distributed summer resi- 

 dent, mostly near human habitations, but also on the dry hill 

 tops of the Ozarks, as well as in the Bald Cypress swamps of the 

 southeast. March 14 to 17 is the time when the first Chippies 

 reach their breeding stands south of the Missouri ; there are very 

 few records of earlier arrivals, as March 2, 1902, Jasper; March 

 10, 1886, Freistatt; March 10, 1887, St. Louis. At the north- 

 east corner of the state the species makes its first appearance a 

 fortnight later, the dates varying from March 30 to April 15, 

 mostly April 4 to 6. While the forerunners reach St. -Louis 

 usually about the middle of March, Chippies are seldom numer- 

 ous before the first week in April, the males appearing first, fol- 

 lowed after four days by the females, v/hen the species becomes 

 conspicuous everywhere. Transient visitants increase their 

 numbers during the second and third week of April, at the end 

 of which ours begin nesting. Flocking in September, they dis- 

 appear from many of their summer haunts and the species seems 

 scarce until migration begins in early October, when sometimes 

 large flocks are met with during the second and third week of 

 the month. All disappear before the month is over and Chippies 

 are great rarities in November, when their cousins, the Tree 

 Sparrows, appear from the north. 



561. Spizella pallida (Swains.). Clay-colored Sparrow. 



Emberiza pallida. Emberiza shattuckii. 



Geog. Dist. — Great Plains of North America from eastern base 

 of Rocky Mountains to prairie districts of the upper Mississippi 

 Valley ; breeding from Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and 

 northwestern Illinois northward to the Saskatchewan; in winter 

 from southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to Cape St. 

 Lucas and Oaxaca. 



Nothing is known of the occurrence of this species in Missouri 

 except in the territory along the eastern and western boundary. 

 The earliest record is that of Audubon, who met with it near the 

 corner of the state. May 9, 1843. Mr. S. S. Wilson regards the 

 Claj^-colored Sparrows common transient visitants at St. -Joseph 

 from the middle of April to early June, and gives me the follovv^- 

 ing dates: April 28, May 7 and 10 and June 17, 1894; ]\Iay 1 



