BIRDS OF KANSAS. 43 1 



Habitat. Circumpolar regions; in North America, southward 

 in winter to Kentucky, southern Illinois, Kansas, etc.; casual 

 to Washington, South Carolina and northern Texas. 



Sp. Char. ''Male: Head (all round) and neck black, extending on the jngu- 

 linn in a crescentlc patch; a broad line from above and behind the eye, sides of 

 neck, a patch in the black of hind head, and whole under parts, white; tlie sides 

 of body streaked broadly with l)laek. A broad half collar of chestnut on back 

 of neck, separated from the hood narrowly, and from the auriculars and throat 

 broadly, by the white stripe from the eye. Above, brownish black, the feathers 

 sharply edged with brownish yellow. Outer tail feathers white, except the basal 

 portion of inner web and a shaft streak at end; next feather with a white streak 

 in end; rest black. Legs black; bill yellow, tipped with black. In winter plumage, 

 the black and other markings overlaid by rusty and fulvous; beneath, by whitish. 

 Female: With the black feathers of head edged with yellowish rusty; the throat 

 white, bordered on the sides and behind by blackish; feathers edged with gray- 

 ish white; the rufous of nape obscure and streaked with blackish. Autumnal 

 specimens of both sexes differ, in having the pattern of coloration obscured by 

 ochraceous borders to the feathers, and a general rusty cast to the plumage." 



stretch of 

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



Male 6.40 11.2.5 3.70 2.75 .80 .44 



Female... 6.10 10.75 3.50 2.60 .80 .44 



Iris brown; bill, terminal half of ridge and ends black, rest 

 reddish brown; legs, feet and claws black. 



This species, like the preceding one, inhabits the desolate 

 regions of the north in summer, and wanders south in winter, 

 in enormous flocks, over the prairies and treeless plains, sub- 

 sisting upon the seeds of the various plants and grasses; and, 

 in their search for the same, skim over the ground in a wavj, 

 zigzag form, and on alighting run swiftly and heedlessly about, 

 squatting close to the ground at the near approach of an in- 

 truder and remaining motionless, hoping to be passed unob- 

 served, but, when startled, rise in a quick, uncertain manner; 

 and it is at such times that the Prairie Falcon and other swift 

 members of the family get in their work, by dashing in and 

 often striking down many of the birds before the flock is well 

 under headway. The following interesting description of their 

 nesting habits, etc. , is extracted from Mr. E. W. Nelson' s ' 'Re- 

 port upon Natural History Collections in Alaska:" 



"During my residence at Saint Michael's over thirty nests 

 were obtained, and the number might readily have been doubled. 



