ANDERSON — THK BIRDS OF IOWA. 365 



nebago — shot male near Forest City, April 30, 1892. Several 

 were seen running about the bank of a small meadow pond; they 

 were very wild and wary (Anderson). Woodbury — "rare tran- 

 sient" (Rich). Greene— "seen at Jefferson, September i8th to 

 20th, in considerable numbers, running about in loose flocks over 

 the furrows of new breakings" (Allen, Mem. Bost. Soc, i, 1868, 

 p. 494). 



Subgenus Neocorys Bechstein. 



325. (700). Afit/ms spragiiei {Kwd.). Sprague Pipit. 



The Sprague Pipit is a bird of the Great Plains region but has 

 been taken rather commonly in western Minnesota (Hatch) and 

 as far east as Omaha, West Point and Lincoln, Neb. (Rev. Birds 

 Neb., 1904, p. 106). The only Iowa record I have is that of Dr. 

 I. S. Trostler, who reports it as a straggler in Pottawattamie 

 county, — one killed near Manawa L,ake, September 14, 1895. 



Family MIMID^. Wrens, Thrashers, Mocking Birds, etc. 



This family includes about fifty species of Thrashers and Mock- 

 ingbirds {Mimincr) and about one hundred and fifty species of 

 Wrens {^Troglodytiiue). They are all vocalists of great ability, the 

 former being the most accomplished musicians among our birds. 

 They are usually plain- colored birds, gray or brown, and are 

 chiefly insectivorous, though many .species feed largely on fruits 

 and berries. Their nests are generally placed in low bushes. The 

 Wrens in general are smaller birds, haunting thickets, and often 

 nesting close to the dwellings of man, usually in holes or cavities, 

 or in bird-boxes. 



Subfamily MIMING. Mockingbirds, Thrashers, etc. 

 Genus Mimus Boie. 



326. (703). Mirmis polyglottos (Linn.). Mockingbird. 



The Mockingbird, that most renowned of American singing 

 birds, is a rare but regular summer resident in the southern part 

 of Iowa and there are a number of records of its occurrence in 

 central and even in northern Iowa. The frequency of caged birds 

 escaping from captivity renders it doubtful whether the most 

 northern records are a normal extension of the birds' range, which 

 is usually fixed at about 40° North. 



[Proc. I). A. S., Vol. XI. 1 49 Ijau. 12, 1907.] 



