364 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



ident in all portions of the state, being usually more numerous 

 during the migrating seasons. It generally arrives about the first 

 week of May, departing the second week in September. W. W. 

 Cooke says: "This is one of the species in which the period of 

 arrival at any locality extends over several weeks, the bulk com- 

 ing many days behind the first. The bulk never arrives till a 

 week after the first, and ten to twelve days is the ordinary time" 

 (Bird Migr. in Miss. Val., 1884-85, pp. 262-63). The nest is usu- 

 ally placed from eight to twenty feet from the ground in a small 

 tree or sapling in open woodland, neatly and compactly built, 

 much like that of a Yellow Warbler; eggs are laid in the latter 

 part of May or first of June. While the species occurs in most 

 localities it is of rather local distribution, being abundant in some 

 groves and rare in others. The species is ver^- conspicuous in 

 spite of its small size, as it is an active flycatcher on the wing, 

 and from the habit of spreading the tail feathers, exposing con- 

 spicuous tail-markings, salmon-red in the male and yellow in the 

 female. 



Family MOTACILLID.F:. Wagtails and Pipits. 



This is a small family of mainly Old World species, chiefly ter- 

 restial, running upon the ground like Larks. The two species 

 which occur in Iowa are strictly terrestrial, migratory and insec- 

 tivorous, and are usually seen in flocks. They have the habit of 

 constantly bobbing or wagging the tail, "as if they were using it 

 to balance themselves upon unsteady footing" (Coues). 



Genus Anthus Bechstein. 

 Subgenus Anthus Bechstein. 



324. (697). Anthus pensUvaniais (lyath.) American Pipit. 



The American Pipit is a tolerablj^ common migrant in Iowa, 

 usually in April and in September, in large flocks, most frequently 

 on ploughed ground or old fields. 



County records: Blackhawk — "frequent migrant " (Peck). 

 Decatur -Mahaska — "abundant, spring and fall" (Trippe, Proc. 

 Bost. Soc, XV, 1872, p. 234). Hancock — several seen in early 

 spring along banks of Lime Creek (Anderson). Lee — "scarce 

 winter visitant, Keokuk" (Praeger); "winter visitant; not com- 

 mon or regular" (Currier). Polk — "arrived at Des Moines April 

 18" (Cooke, Bird Migr. in Miss. Val.,; 1884-85, pp. 263-64). Win- 



