168 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 14 



kinds of eouiferous forests in the mountains, and in fact anywhere that tliere 

 are trees, bushes or l)uildings to furnish nesting sites. 



In migrations this si)eeies arrives the latter i)art of March, being one of tlie 

 first to come in spring, though generally i)receded by the Desert Horned Lark 

 and JMountain Bluebird. Five years' observations at Columbia Falls give the 

 average date of arrival as March 21, with the earliest March 15, 1896 (Cooke, 

 1907, p. 77). Other dates are: Bozeman, March 19, 1909 ; Norton (iuleh. Silver 

 Bow County, IMarch 16, 1910; Helena, March 18, 1911; Lubec, Teton County, 

 .March 28, 1912; Poison, .March 11, 1913; Highwood, :\[arch 21, 1914 (DuBois, 

 MS). Fall migration takes place in October or November. Three years' observa- 

 tions at Columbia Falls give the average date of departure as November 14. with 

 the latest November 20, 1892 (Cooke, 1907, p. 78). Other dates are: Tom Minor 

 Basin, Park County, October 20, 1908; Pipestone Creek, Jefferson County, Octo- 

 ber 23, 1909; Warm Springs Creek, Deer Lodge County, October 13, 1910; ('ho- 

 teau, October 29, 1911. 



Nesting begins in ^lay and continu(^s till July, there being usually two 

 I'roods. The earliest nest recorded was one at C-orvallis, partly completed May 

 2. 1913. In this same locality another nest was found com|)lete on May 4, 1913. 

 and the first egg was seen May 12, 1913 (Bailey, MS). The earliest nest I have 

 found was one at Choteau, partly complete on ^lay 10, 1912. The earliest thai I 

 have seen any eggs was a nest with four fresh eggs at Bozeman, May 23, J 909. 

 On Pipestone Creek, Jefferson County, I found a nest of this species containing 

 five eggs, June 22, 1910. The latest nest 1 have record of was on Little Pii)e- 

 stone Creek, Jefferson County, and contaiiu'd its first egg July 9. 1910. tlie ser 

 of four being complete July 13. 



This species winters regularly in small numbers in the western half of ihv 

 slate, though there ajipear to be no winter records east of the mountains. Such 

 records are most abundant west of the continental divide. Some of these are: 

 Three Forks, February 12, 1910 (Saunders, 1911a, p. 49) ; Bozeman. December 

 25, 1911 (Saunders. 1912h. p. 41); Bozeman, December 24. 1912 (Lundwall, 

 1913. p. 43) ; Corvallis, Bitterroot Valley, February 20, 1912. and January 22, 

 1913; Hamilton, January 25, 1913 (Bailey, MS) ; Kalispell, December 26. 1916 

 (Sloanaker, MS). 



327. Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swaiuson) 



NOKTITERN V.\RIED TllKl'SFI 



A 1-are sunnner resident of northwestern Montana, west of the continental 

 divide. Evidently breeds in the Transition or Canadian zones, in dense dar!- 

 forests of ai-bor-vitae and spruce. There is one record for the spc^cies in migra- 

 tion in eastern ^Montana, when it was seen iri large numbers along the Big and 

 Little Horn rivers in August (McCliesney, 1879, p. 2384). 



The )nigrations evidentl.v come early in spj-ing, for the average an-ival :it 

 (Columbia Falls is April 1. and the earliest .March 2. 1895 (Cooke. 1!)()7. p. 166^. 

 There are no data on fall migration in the state. 



At Flathead Lake and vicinity this species has been met \^ illi a number o1' 



