Nebraska Ornithologists' Union 89 



89. SpiccIIa passcrina (Bechstein) — Chipping Sparrow, 



On Augnst 20 and September 23, 1911, I noted Chipping 

 Sparrows in the brnsh along the Middle Loup river. In 

 the spring of 1912 I saw a very few individuals at inter- 

 vals from INIay 15 to May 24, in situations ranging from the 

 open hills to the river underbrush, and usually in company 

 with the more plentiful Clay-colored Sparrows. It was 

 found breeding among the pines on the hillside back of the 

 Reserve by R. H. Wolcott, but I saw it only during migra- 

 tion. 



90. Spi^scUa pallida (Swainson) — Clay-colored Sparrow. 



Present at Halsey when I arrived on August 21, 1911, 

 this sparrow was noted from that time on through Septem- 

 ber. It was again present when I reached the locality in 

 May, 1912, and remained until May 24, disappearing then 

 but reappearing about August 23, and remaining at least 

 until I left the region on September 10. It is found in all 

 possible situations during migration, but frequents the 

 brush in greatest numbers, especially that in the river val- 

 ley, either along the stream or back at the base of the hills. 



91. Spi::clla pusilla arenacea Chadbourne — Western Field 



Sparrow. 



The Western Field Sparrow was one of the most abun- 

 dant and generally distributed birds at Halsey during the 

 summer, and was found from the earliest to the latest dates 

 that I was at the Reserve, May 15 to September 24, while 

 F. M. Chapman records it still earlier, May 3-6, 1906. 

 Every pocket in the hills, every little hollow with a clump 

 of shrubs in one corner, as well as the brush along the 

 river and against the first slope of the hills contained a pair 

 or more of these little sparrows, whose simple but musical 

 song, with its rising inflection ending in a trill, was a 

 pleasing part of the general chorus, although frequently 

 heard in company with only the Western Grasshopper 

 Sparrows and Western Blue Grosbeaks. 



The nests of the Western Field Sparrows were con- 

 structed *of grasses and soft weed stems and lined with fine 

 rootlets. They were placed at low elevations in wild rose 

 bushes, plum trees, low shrubs like Symphoricarpos and 

 Ceanothus or other such situations, sometimes almost on 

 the ground. One nest that I found was a beautiful struc- 

 ture, the outer part of it a slaty gray in color while the 



