Bird Life of North Dakota 63 



In 1920 I collected an adult male and a juvenile on August i. These 

 were in a low meadow near the edge of Bluebill Lake, Turtle Mountains. 

 On May 24, 1922, a fine female Leconte's sparrow was taken at Grafton 

 by H. V. Williams. 



224. Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni (Allen). Nelson's Sparrow. 



Cooke, 1888, p. 192; Mr. Vernon Bailey has recently found it breeding at Devils 

 Lake, North Dakota. Rolfe. 1899, pp. 356-357; on June 14. 1899. the first United 

 States nest was taken with both birds and five eggs at Devils Lake, North Dakota. 

 Bowman, 1904, pp. 385-386; a nest with five eggs and the pair of birds taken June 

 12, 1902, near the city of Devils Lake, North Dakota. Abbott, 1916, p. 4 ; a low, 

 wheezy song is conspicuous, vibrating in waves through the still air of a June sun- 

 set, the vesper recital of Nelson's sharp-tail on the Big Coulee marsh. Bailey, 1916, 

 p. 20; a few yards away came a Nelson sparrow, giving his loud flight song. Judd, 

 1917, p. 24; tolerably common migrant, but rarely seen. 



The Agricultural College Museum at Fargo contains a male taken July 

 22, 1912, at Hankinson, Richland County, by W. B. Bell. The species was 

 seen but once alive, on June 29, 1921, in a dry slough in Ransom County, 

 where one male was taken while singing. 



225. Chondestes grammacus strigatus Swainson. Western Lark Sparrow. 



Baird. 1858, p. 457; male and female taken at Fort Union. June, 1843, by J. J. 

 Audubon. Allen, 1875, p. 58; one of the most abundant and generally diffused 

 species. Hoffman, 1882, p. 399; from Fort Berthold. Schmidt, 1904; western part 

 of state. Thwaites. 1906, p. 52 ; Maximilian records it from the Upper Alissouri, 

 Julv 25. 1833. Freeman, 1910. p. 14: summer resident; Alay 0. 



The species was found to be a common resident about Anselm, Ransom 

 County, June 28-30, 192 1, and at Medora it was very abundant about the 

 prairie pastures from June 16 to 25, and at Williston on July 7. I also 

 found it common at Grafton, July 23, 1921. 



These scattered records indicate its general distribution throughout the 

 state. 



226. Zonotrichia querula (Nuttall). Harris's Sparrow. 



CouES, 1878, p. 594; a fine series was secured at Mouse River in September and 

 October. The species arrived from- the north September 18, and specimens were 

 taken October 3, 1873. Judd, 1917. P- 24; common migrant, arriving about ?^Iay i 

 r.nd September 10. Freeman, ioio. p. 14; common transient visitant, INIay 6, Sep- 

 tember 19. 



The Museum of Zoology Collection contains one specimen taken at 

 Grafton, May 9, 1913, and a series of six taken there from September 2^ 

 to October 9, 1921, by Henry Williams. 



The species was usually found with the white-crowned sparrow. On 

 May 8, 192 1, a bird was seen at the Biological Station and there were others 

 there as late as May 14. Mr. William Shunk gives me a record of one at 

 Anselm, Ransom County, May 5, 1916. 



