^, PLECTROPHANES ORXATUS. 123 



fouDfl tliem very shy for so small birds, and were obliged to obtain all 

 our specimens (some thirty in number) by shooting them on the wing 

 at long range. They breed, of course, on the ground, constructiug a 

 rather slight but neat nest of dry grass and the stems of small plants. 

 The eggs appear to be commonly live in number, blotched and streaked 

 with rusty on a white ground, full sets of which were obtained the first 

 week in June. This species has the curious habit of circling round the 

 observer, with a buoyant, undulatory flight, generally" high in the air, 

 and usually keeping all the while well out of range, uttering, mean- 

 while, its rather sharp but musical call notes. I met with it in winter 

 from Fort Hays westward, nearly to the Colorado line, indicating that 

 it is resident here the whole year. We failed to meet with it, however, 

 about Cheyenne in August, or anywhere to the westward of Western 

 Kansas ; neither does it appear in Mr. Aiken's list of the birds observed 

 by him near Canon City, Colorado, nor in Mr. Holden's list of the birds 

 seen by him in the vicinity of Sherman." 



Under head of P. mekoiomus, Dr. Heermann has the following: 



" I first remarked this bird, associated with the P. maccoicnii, at a 

 large prairie-dog village, some miles west of Puerto del Dado. Fresh 

 meat having become scarce in camp, and desiring a few birds for sup- 

 per, I fired into a flock covering densely quite a large space. T.iree 

 dozen fell at the first discharge, and among them I was pleased to find 

 this species and P. maccoivnii. From this point to the Kio Grande we 

 found both of these species abundant wherever we struck isolated water- 

 holes, these being the only spots for miles around where driuk can be 

 obtained. When fired at, they rise as if to fly away ; but forced by 

 thirst to return, after describing a few curves, to the only spot where 

 their parched tongues can find relief, they may, if the hunter feels so 

 inclined, be freely slaughtered. I have often seen from one hundred to 

 one hundred and fifty brought down in four or five discharges of a gun. 

 While on a trip to the Eocky Mountains, iu 1843, I met * * * * 

 P. ornatus iu small flocks and iiairs, scattered over the prairies of the 

 Platte River, and was fortunate enough to discover one of their nests. 

 Built on the ground, it was composed of fine grasses, lined with 

 hair. The eggs, four in number, were white, with black lines at the 

 larger end, and a few faint neutral- tint blotches scattered over the surface. 



I took a single specimen in October, 1804, on a grassy plain near Fort 

 AVhipplc, Arizona, the only one observed in the Territory. 



The Chestnut-collared Bunting breeds in profusion on the plains of 

 Northern Dakota. On the bare plains, away from a single land-mark, 

 it is perhaps the most abundant bird of all, though Baird's Bunting and 

 the Missouri Sky-lark are not far behind in this respect. All three 

 associate intimately together, and there is a great general similarity in 

 their habits. The nest of the present species is placed on the ground, 

 eflectually concealed beneath some little tutt of grass; it is a slight 

 alfair, merely a few fine grasses and slender weed-stems, for the most 

 part circularly disposed, and considerably hollowed. Like the nests of 

 most other sparrows that breed on the ground, it is sunken in a de- 

 pression so as to be flush with the geiu'ral surface. It nu'asures about 

 three and one-half inches across outside, and more than half as miu*h iu 

 depth; the bottom is very thin in comi)arison with the brim, which is 

 well defined. The eggs are usually t\)ur in number, measuring about 

 foiu'-fifths of an inch long by tlirce-fifths broad, and are not peculiar iu 

 shape. They are grayish-white, more or less clouded, and mottled 

 obscurely with i»ale puri)lisli-giay, wliich (-((iifers the pre\ ailing tone; 

 this is overlaid with numerous surface-nuukings of points, scratches, 



