1913 BIRDS OF THE FRESNO DISTRICT 79 



J. Eugene Law. We explored some overflowed land about four miles east of 

 White's Bridge where we encountered a scattered colony of Grasshopper Spar- 

 rows. They were frequenting ground grown up with clumps of a species of bunch 

 grass, and bordered by quite an extensive area supporting some kind of "sage- 

 brush." During the time we were in that vicinity we flushed several of the birds 

 and also heard their insect-like song. The late date and the fact that the birds 

 appeared quite at home seemed to indicate a breeding colony of at least three or 

 four pairs, but we failed to find any nests. 



Western Lark Sparrow. Chondestes ^ammacus strigatus (Swainson). 



In this age when the bird student marks with regret the gradual but certain 

 decrease in the numbers of so many of our birds, as a result of the rapid settling 

 up of the few remaining tracts of uncultivated land, it is certainly a pleasure to 

 note that here we have a species that has responded favorably to a changed en- 

 vironment, and seems to be actually on the increase. 



Formerly, when our vast grain fields extended for miles in all directions, 

 and the stock ranges had not felt the influence of the plow, then, amid far more 

 arid surroundings than at the present time, we found Western Lark Sparrows 

 living in company with Ground Owls and horned toads ; and thriving on grass- 

 hoppers and such wild grain and seeds as nature provided. 



Since the last few years have wrought such a transformation, this same 

 species has accepted the change without any apparent hardship ; and the Lark 

 Sparrows now lead happy and useful lives amid the orchards and vineyards that 

 have sprung up everywhere over the valley like a crop of mushrooms that often 

 appear in a single night. Although a resident, and common throughout the year, 

 this species is more abundant during the summer than during the winter months. 

 The Lark Sparrow population also, varies somewhat from year to year. 



Aside from the inimitable Western Mockingbird, I know of no other bird 

 that sings so often at night. On more than one occasion I have refrained from 

 sleep in order to listen to the notes that ring out with such wonderful sweetness 

 when heard in the still night hours when all other bird voices are hushed. The 

 peculiar "burring" note so characteristic of this species serves to distinguish 

 the Lark Sparrow's vocal efforts from the song of any other of our birds. While 

 the same note appears in the songs of several of the other finches, yet in none of 

 these is it present in such numbers ; nor do the other birds sing so persistently as 

 this friendly "fan-tail," for by that name many a schoolboy knows the Western 

 Lark Sparrow. 



Excepting the Linnet, 1 know of no bird that makes use of a greater variety 

 of nesting sites, and no doubt the species owes its abundance at the present time, 

 in a measure, to the diversity of positions in which it conceals its home. Nests 

 have been found on almost bare ground, in alfalfa fields, and among weeds, the 

 amount of concealment varying from almost none at all to so much that the nests 

 could be considered artfully hidden. Other nests have been noted in bushes and 

 grape vines, sometimes just a few inches above the ground and from that height 

 up to six feet or more; still other pairs choose an orchard or shade tree and 

 place their rather bulky structure as high sometimes as ten feet, but more often 

 not more than six feet up. 



