Western Grasshopper-Sparrow 359 



Distribution. — The plains of western North America, breeding in 

 Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, south to eastern Montana and 

 Minnesota ; south in winter to Texas and north-west Mexico. 



A rare bird in Colorado, only occiuring on migration, chiefly in the 

 autumn, and only along the eastern bases of the mountains. There is 

 a good series of examples in the Aiken collection, taken between 22nd 

 August and the 13th of October, all near Colorado Springs. The only 

 other definite record is Del Norte on the Rio Grande, August 22nd 

 (Aiken a/pud Henshaw) ; while so far as I am aware there is only one 

 spring record — El Paso co.. May 6th, 1873, the second specimen taken 

 by Aiken (Ridgway, 73). 



Habits. — Baird's Sparrow resembles the Savannah 

 in its habits as well as in its appearance. Coues states 

 that it took him several days before he could distinguish 

 them in the field. The males often, especially in the 

 breeding season, sit on low bushes and grass stems and 

 sing, but the females keep concealed in the grass. The 

 fhght is very erratic, short and zigzag, and rather 

 quicker than that of the Savannah. The nest was 

 first found by Allen, July 1st, 1873, on Big Muddy 

 Creek in Dakota ; it was a slight structure, placed on the 

 ground, and contained five eggs, closely resembling 

 those of the Vesper-Sparrow. 



Genus AMMODRAMUS. 



Small Sparrow-like birds resembling Passerculus, but with a,n even, 

 more rounded wing, which is shorter than the tail and tarsias combined ; 

 tail relatively short, under -7 length of the wing ; emarginate or slightly 

 double-rounded . 



Following Ridgway this genus contains only one species, running 

 into several subspecific forms, distributed over North America, 

 including Mexico and the Antilles (see key, p. 355). 



Western Grasshopper-Sparrow, 



Ammodramus savannarum himaculatus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 546a — Colorado Records — Ridgway 73, p. 182 



(C passerinus perpallidus) ; Drew 85, p. 16 ; Morrison 89, p. 37 ; Cooke 



97, pp. 18, 101, 166 ; Henderson 09, p. 236 ; Hersey & Rockwell 09. 



p. 120. 



