CLAY-COLORED SPARROW 1189 



bird is one of the many passerine species that migrate by night in 

 spring and fall. Evidence of diurnal migration in the spring comes 

 from Frances Clopton (Mrs. H. L.) WiUiams of jNlidland, Texas, who 

 writes me that late on the morning of Apr. 23, 1959, she watched 52 

 birds flying from bush to bush up a draw toward the northwest. 



In 1952 Lester L. Snyder wrote me: "Records from Point Pelee 

 suggest that the species now migrates into and out of southern On- 

 tario via this 'port.' There are two other obvious 'ports of entry' 

 into Ontario, however, namely in (1) the Sault Ste. Marie and Mani- 

 toulin region, and (2) the Minnesota and Manitoba areas." Frank A. 

 Pitelka (1947) suggests that these sparrows reach the interior of 

 British Columbia via the northern end of the Rocky Mountain mass 

 and the Peace River district. 



George F. Simmons (1925) describes the unusual occurrence of a 

 huge flock of 3,000 birds that stayed for 2 weeks at Austin, Texas, in 

 the spring of 1907. George M. Sutton (MS.) saw about 400 near 

 Arnett, Ellis County, Okla., on May 11, 1936. Professor Orin A. 

 Stevens (1950) shows that at Fargo, N.D., arrival dates for 26 years 

 average May 5 with the earhest April 30, 1934, and the latest May 12, 

 1919. He informs me that the average variation for 2.7 days is the 

 third smallest he has recorded for 49 species. 



Territory. — ^The clay-colored sparrow, unlike the field and Baird's 

 sparrows, has a rather small territory. The size varies from about 

 Yi acre to 1 acre. Near Brandon, Manitoba, in 1962 I found the dis- 

 tances between the singing perches of five males to be 40, 60, 65, 70, 

 and 120 yards respectively. John Lane found three nests forming a 

 triangle with sides of 30, 40, and 50 yards, in 1960. Nine miles west 

 of Brandon on June 5, 1960, 11 searchers found nine nests in IK hours 

 in a remote 9-acre patch of snowberry and wolf willow, a first class 

 type of cover. In the same patch, on June 28, 1962, I counted 15 

 singing males. 



Throughout the nesting period the male defends his territory vigor- 

 ously against his own species. He has also been observed chasing 

 chipping sparrows (Terrill. 1952) and song sparrows (Fox, 1961) from 

 his territory. Lawrence H. Walkinshaw (1944a) states that terri- 

 torial behavior is much like that of the field sparrow. His notes 

 taken May 29, 1944, follow: 



An empty nest was found. The male and female were near. The male trying 

 to attract me from the nest, flew around and around his territory calling the 

 attraction call "zip-zip-zip-zip-zip", much like the song of the Black-poll Warbler. 

 Occasionally both birds called to each other a low "zeep" "zeep". When the 

 male neared a neighboring territory, male two settled quickly on a nearby limb, 

 head stretched forward, very alert. On closer approach, male one was attacked 

 by male two. They flew around and around in a group of six-foot trees, the 



