BIRDS OF KANSAS. 445 



Ammodramus savannarum passerinus (Wils.). 



GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. 

 PLATE XXVII. 



Summer resident; abundant. Arrive usually about the middle 

 of April to first of May (occasionally earlier); begin laying the 

 last of May; leave the last of September to middle of October. 

 I have noticed a few of the birds in the southern part of the 

 State as late as the middle of November. 



B. 338. R. 198. C. 234. G. 98, 218. U. 546. 



Habitat, Eastern United States and southern Canada; west 



to the plains; south in winter to the Gulf States, Cuba, Porto 



Rico and the Gulf coast of Mexico. 



Sp. Chak. "Feathers of the upper parts brownish rufous or chestnut brown, 

 margined abruptly and narrowly with ash color; reddest on the lower part of 

 the back and rump; the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion; this 

 color visible on the interscapular region, where the rufous is more restricted. 

 Crown blackish, with a central superciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with 

 brown, brightest in front of the eye. Bend of the wing bright yellow; lesser 

 coverts tinged with greenish yellow. Quills and tail feathers edged with whit- 

 ish; tertiaries much variegated. Lower parts brownish yellow or buff, nearly 

 white on the middle of the belly, darkest on the jugulum. The feathers of the 

 upper breast and sides of the body with obsolete darker centers, these some- 

 times wanting. Sides of breast against bend of wing with a few black streaks, 

 usually concealed. The young of this species have the jugulum and sides of the 

 breast streaked with black, much more distinct than in the adults, and exhibit- 

 ing a slight resemblance to A. hensloicii. The upper parts are less varied." 



stretch of 

 Length. wing: Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 5.00 8.40 2.50 1.85 .75 .43 



Female... 4.90 8.10 2.40 1.80 .75 .42 



Iris brown; bill pale bluish, ridge dusky; legs and feet flesh 

 color; claws light brown. 



This little bird inhabits the dry fields, upland prairies and 

 plains, seldom frequenting the low, moist lands. They are 

 strictly terrestial, running about in their search for seeds and 

 insects; and, upon the approach of an intruder, skulk and hide 

 in the grass like mice, rarely taking wing except when startled; 

 they* then rise quickly and dash off in a jerky flight, for a short 

 distance, and then abruptly drop back or dive into the grass. 



Its song is only heard during the breeding season; a wheezy, 

 grasshopper trill, from which it derives its name. What it 



