MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 133 



coccineum, and one or two other malvaceous species, Verbena aubletia, 

 a Lippia, a Scutellaria, and an aster-like composite plant, — all low forms 

 and very prolific of large showy flowers. Among the coarser herbs are 

 Amorpha canescens, Echinacea, angustifolia, Delphinium azureum, a 

 Lepachys, a Dalea, two species of Linum, Onosmodium carolinianum, 

 and Verbena hastata, all common in their respective localities, but gen- 

 erally of dwarfed stature as compared with their size on the moister 

 prairies to the eastward. The sensitive brier (Schrankia uncinata) was 

 also abundant, and Rosa lucida was agreeably frequent along the 

 streams. Two species of Melocactus and an Opuntia attest by their 

 abundance the dryness of the climate. 



The birds found here fall naturally into two groups, in accordance 

 with the situations they most affect, — those of the timber and those of 

 the Plains proper. The former class is much the more numerous in 

 species, only about six being confined strictly to the Plains ; these 

 latter are, however, among the most characteristic, being by far the 

 most numerously represented, and almost the only kinds that inhabit 

 the treeless belt which extends thence westward to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. They are the horned lark {Eremophila alpestris), the chest- 

 nut-colored bunting {Plectrophanes ornatus), the lark finch (Chon- 

 deslcs grammaca), the lark bunting (Calamospiza bicolor), the yellow- 

 winged sparrow (Coturnicidus passerinus), and the meadow lark (Stur- 

 nella ludoviciana). The Carolina dove (Zencedura carolinensis) and the 

 night-hawk (Chordeiles popetue) are most numerous about the timber, 

 but are also everywhere common on the open plains, where the dove 

 nests on the ground as readily as it does in trees at the eastward. The 

 killdeer and mountain plovers {JEgialitis vociferus and JE. montanus), 

 and Bartram's tattler or field plover (Actiturus Bartramius) frequent 

 the plains, chiefly near moist hollows, as well as the neighborhood of 

 streams. About one fifth of the species were strictly western, not reg- 

 ularly occurring east of the Missouri River. Several others, however, 

 as Chordeiles popetue, Sturnella ludoviciana, Peuccea cestivalis, Troglo- 

 dytes a'edon, etc., have received distinctive names, owing to the faded 

 appearance they here exhibit, and others might be thus separated with 

 equal propriety. The bleaching of the plumage is evidently the result 

 of the excessive dryness of the climate, and the lack of shelter from the 

 intense rays of the sun, and in some degree, perhaps, of the wearing 

 off of the edges of the feathers by the almost incessant heavy winds. 



