ANDERSON— THK BIRDS OF IOWA. 315 



Genus Pooc\-e;tks Baird. 



239. (540). Pooccetes gramineus (Gmel.). \'e.sper Sparrow. 

 The Vesper Sparrow, Bay-winged Bunting, or Grass Finch, is 



a common migrant in all parts of the state and l)reeds in most 

 portions, but appears to be more common in summer in the cen- 

 tral and northern parts of the state. Nests are built on the 

 ground in pastures, meadows and cornfields. H. J. (biddings 

 notes a nest in a potato patch (Jackson county). Carleton R. 

 Ball reports that the species has increased rapidly in the last few 

 years in Lyon county (Iowa Orn., i, i, 1894, P- 4)- The birds ar- 

 rive from the south in the early part of April and remain until 

 October. The V^esper Sparrow is a pleasing songster, usually 

 uttering its song from a fence-post or other elevated .spot in the 

 early morning ard late afternoon. The species is easily recog- 

 nized by the chestnut bend of wing and white outer tail feathers. 

 Specimens from Sioux City were identified by Robert Ridgway as 

 belonging to the eastern variety, P. g. conpnis not appearing in 

 Iowa. 



Genus Passerculus Bonaparte. 



240. (542a). Passerciilus sand-n'ichensis savanna i^\\s.) Savanna 



Sparrow. 



The Savanna Sparrow is a tolerably common migrant in all 

 parts of the state and is a summer resident in a few localities. It 

 arrives early in April and has been observed as late as October 

 26 (Scott county). 



County records: Booone — "fairly common" (Henning). De- 

 catur and Mahaska — "not very common; breeds. An inhabitant 

 of the bushy margins of pools and watercourses on the prairies ' ' 

 (Trippe, Proc. Bost. Soc, xv, 1872, p. 237). Hancock — shot three 

 specimens May 15, 1897 (Anderson). Jackson — "rare summer 

 resident" (Giddings). Johnson — .shot male, April 13, 1901 (An- 

 derson). Lee — "scarce migrant" (Praeger); "common migrant" 

 (Currier). Polk — "has been observed during the summer on the 

 prairie sloughs of Polk county" (Keyes and Williams, Birds of 

 Iowa, 1899, p. 142). Poweshiek — "tolerably common summer 

 resident' ' (Kelsey). Van Buren — ' 'common, nesting on the ground 

 by a tuft of grass or large weed" (Wm. Savage, Iowa Orn., i, i, 

 1894, p. 4). Webster "few" (Somes). Winneshiek — "have seen 



