Sherman — On Migration Halts. 39 



a month. The Solitary Sandpiper and Wilson Snipe are rare 

 callers during migration, therefore when one of the former, 

 or a small flock of the latter is seen almost daily for a week or 

 two, it is natural to conclude that they are the same birds each 

 time. Of the rails, both Sora and Virginia individuals have 

 been recognized as remaining in one locality for more than a 

 month. 



Sparrows, apparently, are great laggards, yet it is difficult 

 to say whether flock succeeds flock day after day, or the same 

 birds linger many days. Sometimes a Junco, flecked with 

 white spots, or one with reddish sides (presumably a Montana 

 Junco) makes it certain that the same bird remains for several 

 clays. Very convincing evidence was furnished last autumn of 

 a long stop made by some of the Fringillidae. By most observ- 

 ers near the Mississippi River the Harris Sparrow is report- 

 ed as a rare migrant. T usually am able to mark him as pres- 

 ent upon several days in the fall, and sometimes in the spring, 

 but hitherto the longest visit has been for a few days only. 

 Last fall he arrived promptly on September 30 and remained 

 until November 2, being seen every day but four of this pe- 

 riod, and those were windy or stormy days. On several days 

 three of the Harris Sparrows were seen together, and once I 

 saw four of them sitting so closely together on the top of a 

 brush-pile that all were within the field of my binocular. The 

 black on throat of one was quite distinct throughout its whole 

 extent, on another bird the black showed on one side and was 

 almost wanting on the other. These points, taken with the 

 rarity of the species here, and the constancy with which they 

 were watched, make it pretty convincing that the same birds 

 were here during the thirty-four days. 



They, in company with a half-dozen other sparrow species, 

 chose to roost in dense shrubbery near the east side of the 

 house. A note they uttered, when going to roost more frequent- 

 ly than at other times, suggested the happy chirp of a chicken 

 when under the shelter of its mother's wing. Probably thick 

 foliage to protect them at night, food found in a riotous weed- 

 patch (furnished by a neighbor), and mild weather were the 

 inducements that led the Harris Sparrows to postpone their 



