30 



42. Penthestes atrieapillus septentrionalis (Harris) — Long- 



tailed Chickadee. 



Long-tailed Chickadees were almost as abundant as the 

 White-winged Juncos, if not fully so. Only a few individ- 

 uals together at a time, yet they were everywhere. They 

 were exceedingly tame and full of curiosity and would 

 come up as close to me as they dared and watch me closely. 

 One little fellow, I remember in particular, followed me 

 up Squaw canyon for a quarter of a mile or so and finally 

 had the temerity to fly up and perch on the barrel of my 

 gun within a foot or two of my head. How long it would have 

 remained there I cannot say for its perch was so slippery 

 as to make it necessary for the bird to find a more secure 

 footing and it flew off. 



43. Sajcioola aenaiithe leueorhoa (Gmelin) — ^Greenland Wheat- 



ear. 



Under this caption I am obliged to record one of the most 

 severe disappointments I have experienced in field work. 

 On the morning of Decem'ber 2, I was exploring the ridge 

 north of Squaw mound when my attention was attracted 

 by a bird some distance down the southern slope. It was 

 hovering over the ground and would remain for a short 

 time almost motionless except for the rapid beating of its 

 wings. Suddenly it would drop to the ground where it 

 would stay for a little while, and then rise, fly for a short 

 distance and repeat the performance. It did this several 

 times while I watched it and in doing so gradually drew 

 nearer. It suddenly became aware of my presence, how- 

 ever, and sought a perch on a fence post well out of range. 

 All efforts to approach it were useless as it kept pace with 

 my movements and I was forced to have recourse to my 

 field glasses and note-book. I then began another series 

 of attempts at approach but without success. After a 

 weary chase the bird took to the canyons where it succeeded 

 in finally eluding me. I regret very much that I was unable 

 to secure the specimen as the species is not only new to 

 Ne/braska but is extremely rare in the country, although 

 it has been taken in New York, Maine, Michigan, Louis- 

 iana and Colorado. In the absence of more definite data, 

 although I am sure of the identity of the bird I saw, the 

 species cannot be included in our fauna positively. 



