ZONOTRICHIA QUERULA, IIAREIS's SPARROW. 157 



ZONOTKICHIA QUERULA, (Nntt.) Gamb. 



Harris's Sparrow. 



FrUigilla quenila, NuTT., Man. i, 2(1 ed., 1840, 555 (Westport, Mo.). 



Zonotricliia querula, Gamp.., Jouru. Phila. Acad, i, 1847, 51. — Bp., Consp. Av. i, 1850, 478. — 

 Bd., B. N. a. 1858, 46-2.— Allex, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 127, 177.— Coues, Key, 

 1872, 145. — Tkippe, Pr. Bost. Soc. xv, 1872, 237 (Iowa). — Sxow, B. Kaus. 1873, 

 7.— B. B. ifc R., N. A. B. i, 1874, 577, pi. 26, lig. 4, 7. 



Fringilla harrisii, Aud., B. Am. vii, 1843, 331, 484. 



Friiif/illa comata, M.vxm., Reise Nord-Ain. ii, 1841, — ; J. f. O. vi, 1858, 279. 



Zoifotrichia vomala, Bp., Consp. Av. i, 1850, 479. 



Hab. — Region of the Missouri. East to Eastern Iowa. 



Lieitteiudit JVarren's Expedition. — 4797, Fort Leavenworth ; 4798, Upper Missouri River; 

 4799, Bald Island ; 5400, Medicine Creek. 

 Not obtained by Captain Rayuolds' Expedition. 



Harris's Fiucb and Sprague's Lark may be regarded as the most ehar- 

 acteristic birds of the Missouri region. The former has not yet been 

 found away from the river at any distance. Nuttall's original is said to 

 be from Westport, in the State of Missouri ; Audubon's came from the 

 Black-Snake Hills, in the Kickapoo country, and Fort Croghan. Dr. 

 Hayden took several at the various points above mentioned. Latterly 

 Mr. Allen found the species "exceedingly abundant" at Fort Leaven- 

 worth, in May : " it was found almost exclusively in the forests, and 

 generally in company with Z. albicollis, which it resembles in habits, 

 and somewhat in song." He informs me that he has specimens in the 

 Museum of Comparative Zoology from various points in Iowa. Prof. 

 Snow states that in Kansas the bird is often taken in winter, probably 

 resident, and abundant in May along the Missouri. In Iowa, according 

 to Mr. Trippe, it is abundant in spring and fall in Decatur County : 

 " This beautiful Sparrow is one of the commonest of the FrhujillkJce 

 that pass through Decatur County in spring and fall, associating at 

 such times with the other Sparrows and Finches, and frequenting 

 similar haunts. Its notes in the fall are a simple, loud chirp, not dis- 

 tinguishable from that of the White-throated S[)arrow, and, occasion- 

 ally, a low, sweet warble ; in the spring it has a curious song, beginning 

 very much like that of the latter bird, but ending in a few harsh, 

 drawling notes, sounding like a faint mimicry of the scream of the 

 isight-Hawk, and totally unlike tiie first part of the song." 



In October of the past year I found Harris's Finches in numbers at 

 Fort liandall. They were loitering in small troops in the undergrowth 

 of the river-bottom, along with Towliee Buntings and hundreds of Tree 

 S[)arrows, all enjoying at their ease the genial sunshine of the linger- 

 ing .season. This was the first time I had ever seen the birds alive, and 

 I was struck with tlieir size and beauty — even among the bushes they 

 looked noticeably larger than their eastern allies, reminding me rather 

 of the Z. corona fa I observed some years since on the coast of Cali- 

 fornia. 1 saw none with black head — this part and the neck appearing 

 at a distance grayish-brown, with irreguhir dark markings on the throat, 

 and breast. They uttered at intervals the usual sparrow-like chirp, but 

 I heard no song. I was not collecting at the time, my outfit iiaving 

 been delayed en route in Ibllowing me, but their image haunted me for 

 several days, until, borrowing a gun, and securing some shot (big 

 enough to kill dn(;ks with, but the smallest I couhl get), I started after 

 them again, expecting of course to find tiiem, and gather a gooil suite 

 illustrating tlu; immature plumage. But I had missed my chance. I 

 ransacked the same tract for hours without success, and at complete 

 loss to account for their sudden disappearance, till 1 recollected we had 



