218 HISTORY OF THE 



Habitat. Western North America; east into Texas and Da- 

 kota; north to the British possessions; wintering in Southern 

 California, Texas and southward; accidental in Florida. 



Sp. Char. '•^Adult, breeding plumage: Wide frontal cresceut, superciliary 

 stripe and entire lower parts white, purest on the forehead, of a more or less 

 soiled tint beneath, the jugulum shaded with light grayish brown, most distinct 

 laterally, where insensibly merging into the color of the upper parts. Fore part 

 of the crown and stripe from the rictus to the eye (across lores) black. Eest 

 of upper parts uniform light grayish brown, the remiges and tail dusky; shafts 

 of primaries white. Adult, in spring: Similar to the above, but upper parts' 

 and jugulum tinged with light buffy ochraceous. Adult and young, in winter: 

 More strongly tinged with buff, both above and below; the black markings of 

 the head wanting. Young, first plumage: All the feathers of the upper parts 

 distinctly bordered with light buff; whole side of head and neck and entire jug- 

 ulum deep light creamy buff. Downy young: Above, brownish buff mottled 

 with black, this forming a distinct marbling on the crown and occiput, where 

 the ground color is lighter and clearer buff. Lower parts pale buff, immaculate. 



"There is considerable individual variation in the extent and distinctness of 

 black on the head in fully adult birds, some specimens having the whole crown 

 black, while in others this color is limited to a crescentic mark just behind the 

 white of the forehead; In some examples the black loral stripe Is barely indi- 

 cated." 



Iris dark brown; bill and claws black; legs pale brown; feet 

 dark brown. 



These birds inhabit high prairies and sterile plains, rather than 

 the mountains as their name indicates, and seldom frequent the 

 water's edge or low, wet grounds; in other respects their habits 

 do not materially differ from others of the family. 



Their note is a rather low, pleasing whistle. Their food is 

 chiefly grasshoppers. I have found them breeding in Kansas, 

 Colorado and Wyoming, and they no doubt breed within the 

 United States throughout their range. 



Their nest is a slight depression in the ground, lined sparingly 

 with the leaves of grasses. Eggs usually three or four, 1.47x 

 1.11; deep olive to brownish drab, sprinkled with fine dots of 

 blackish brown and neutral tints; pyriform in shape, but not so 

 sharply pointed as other species of this genus. A set of three 

 eggs, collected in Wyoming, June 6th, 1886, measure: 1.47x 

 1.06, 1.52x1.13, 1.53x1.10. 



