230 THREE WESTERN BIRD GROUPS 



the Poor-will, "White-throated Swift, Say's Phoebe, Bullock's 

 Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, and "Western Tanager, nest 

 only in the western part of the state. 



In brief, some eastern birds find their western limit in 

 eastern Nebraska, and some western birds find their eastern 

 limit in western Nebraska, while the ranges of others meet 

 or overlap. The Prairie Hen, for example, extends more 

 than half-way across the state where it meets the Sharp-tail 

 Gronse or Prairie Chicken ; the Great-crested Flycatcher 

 meets the Arkansas Kingbird, the Blue Jay the Magpie, to 

 mention a few of many similar cases. 



May 3, when we reached Halsey, the migration appeared 

 to be at its height, and many transient species were found 

 with those which were nesting or about to nest. 



In or along the swiftly flowing Middle Loup we observed 

 small numbers of Mallards, Pintails, Blue-winged Teal, 

 Great Blue Herons, American Bitterns, Coots, Wilson's 

 Snipe, Solitary Sandpipers and Killdeer. Among the wil- 

 lows and blossom-covered plum bushes of the bottom-lands, 

 were a single Bob-white, Arkansas Flycatchers, Say's 

 Phoebes, Blue Jays, Yellow-headed, Brewer's, and Red- 

 winged Blackbirds {Agelaius subsp.). Clay-colored and In- 

 termediate White-crowned Sparrows, Arctic Towhees in 

 great numbers, every plum thicket holding as many as forty 

 or fifty males and females ; Field Sparrows, White-rumped 

 Shrikes, and straggling Myrtle, Blackpoll, and AVilson's 

 Warblers, Yellow-throats {Geothlypis subsp.). Rock Wrens, 

 Brown Thrashers, and Bluebirds. 



On the prairie of the Loup Valley, we saw a single Bar- 

 tramian Sandpiper or ''Upland Plover" once abundant but. 

 as a breeding bird, now very rare in Nebraska, Prairie 

 Hens, Doves, Burrowing Owls, Prairie Horned Larks. 

 Western Meadowlarks, Lark Buntings, Lark Finches, and 

 Vesper Sparrows. 



The Sharp-tailed Grouse {Pedicecetes p. campestris) 

 appeared to be confined to the dune-like sandhills. In the 



