SPRAGUE'S PIPIT 59 



course aud drops abruptly to concealmout again. It rarely, if ever, alights except 

 on the ground. Its behavior in these respects is characteristic enough to dis- 

 tinguish it among the other prairie birds with which it is associated. 



As to its behavior about the nest, Mr. Harris (1933) discovered 

 that— 



the female used a definite route in entering and in departing from the nest. After 

 securing food from an adjoining patch of open grass, it would fly low over the 

 ground directly to about six feet north-west of the nest. Here it would alight 

 and walk along a curving path to enter the nest finally from the south. On 

 leaving, the bird would stand for a few moments on the edge of the depression 

 to watch and listen. Then it would move directly west for about two feet — cross- 

 ing its path of approach — and again pause at another "listening post." From 

 here it would mount into the air and fly off in search of more food. The path 

 used was always the same, and once known, it could just be discerned because of 

 its slightly trodden appearance. Rarely did the bird depart from the nest 

 without first standing for several minutes at both "listening posts." At these 

 times, the bird's ear coverts were frequently seen to be raised slightly, showing 

 how keenly alert it was. Preening occasionally took place at these intervals also. 



Dr. Coues (1874) writes: 



In August, after all the broods are on the wing, and through September, I 

 have seen it in considerable flocks ; and often, when riding along the prairie road, 

 numbers would fly up at my approach, from the ruts ahead, where they were 

 feeding, to settle again at a little distance further on. These wheel tracks, 

 where the grass was worn away, seemed to be their favorite resorts, where they 

 could run with the greatest ease, and perhaps gather food less easily discovered 

 in the thirk grass. They tripped along the tracks with swift aud dainty steps, 

 never hopping, and continually vibrating the tail, just like our common Titlark. 

 They were usually associated at such times with numbers of Chestnut-colored 

 Lark-buntings, which seemed to fancy the same places, and with a few Baird's 

 Buntings. These were the only circumstances under which the Larks coifld 

 be procured without the great quickness and dexterity required to take them 

 on the vnng ; for the moment they alight in the grass of the prairie, be it scanty 

 or only a few inches high, they are lost to view, their speckled-gray colors 

 blending completely with the herbage. 



Voice. — The marvelous flight song of Spragiie's pipit has been re- 

 ferred to above. It is one of its most striking characteristics and quite 

 different from the flight songs of other birds. Aretas A. Saunders 

 says, in part, in his notes : "As it flies around, its flight rises and falls. 

 Each time it rises the bird sings; when it falls, he is silent. So the 

 song is heard at intervals as the bird flies about its circle. The song 

 consists of a series of 2-note phrases, each phrase with the first note of 

 the two higher in pitch and each phrase beginning on a little lower 

 pitch than the previous one. I once measured the drop in pitch of a 

 particular singer and found that it was half a tone less than an octave 

 and that the bird sang seven 2-note phrases. But, knowing the amount 

 of variation that exists in the songs of most species, I would not be sure 

 that this song was typical. The song is clear, sweet, and musical but, 

 perhaps because of the distance, sounds rather weak. In some locali- 



