436 HISTORY OF THE 



chief portion of the nest, with only a few leaves as a base to the 

 nest. They were sometimes sunk in excavations made by the 

 birds, or placed in tussocks of grass, and, in one instance, placed 

 in the midst of a bed of Labrador tea. . . . 



"When their nests are approached, the female quietly slips 

 off, while the male bird may be seen hopping or flying from 

 tree to tree in the neighborhood of the nest, and will at times 

 do all he can to induce intruders to withdraw from the neigh- 

 borhood. 



"The eggs, five in number, have a light clay-colored ground, 

 are marked with obscure blotches of lavender, and darker lines, 

 dots and blotches of dark purplish brown. They measure, .80 

 x65." 



Calcarius ornatus (Towns.). 



CHESTNUT-COLORED LONGSPUR. 

 PLATE XXVII. 



Quite a common resident in the middle and northern part of 

 the State; abundant throughout the State in winter. Begin 

 laying the last of May. 



B. 328, 339. E. 189. C. 222. G. 94, 213. U. 538. 



Habitat. A bird of the plains; from the Saskatchewan re- 

 gion, south in winter to the table lands of Mexico, and occasion- 

 ally straggling far eastward. 



Sp. Chab. Adult male, in summer: Top of head, stripe behind eye, spot 

 ou lower part of ear coverts, chest, breast and belly, black, the lower parts 

 sometimes touched with rufous or chestnut; hind neck deep rufous; broad su- 

 perciliary stripe, chin and throat white; cheeks pale buff, this sometimes over- 

 Spreading lores, ear coverts, chin and upper throat; in full plumage, the lesser 

 wing coverts deep black, with posterior row pure white. Adult male, in icinter: 

 Black of head and lower parts more or less obscured or even concealed by light 

 brownish or dull buffy tips to the feathers; otherwise essentially as in summer. 

 Adtilt female: Above, light grayish buffy brown, streaked with dusky; beneath, 

 pale grayish buffy brown, or dull grayish buff, the breast and belly sometimes 

 streaked with darker; under tail coverts dull buffy whitish. (Plumage softer 

 and colors more blended in winter.) Young: Above dusky, the feathers edged 

 and margined with dull whitish and pale brownish buff; wing coverts tipped 

 with dull whitish; an indistinct streaked whitish superciliary stripe; ear coverts 

 streaked dusky and pale brownish; malar region, chin and throat white, flecked 

 more or less with grayish dusky; rest of lower parts dull grayish buff, streaked^ 

 especially ou breast, with dusky. {Ridgway.) 



