42 BIRDS OF THE WEST 



heard the music "till the sweet- voiced bird has flown," and then 

 only the spirit of a song. 



On the unsettled prairie land west of the Missouri river, it is 

 the most common of all birds, but in the more thickly settled parts 

 of the west it is far less numerous. While you are driving out into 

 the country you may see many of them flying over the fields, but 

 if you wish to get a good view of one, watch the road-ruts ahead of 

 you. When you come upon him he will squat down into the dust, 

 trusting to his similarity in color to deceive you; he will pull in 

 his horns too, hoping (not hopping, he never hops) thus to escape 

 notice. If he sees that you are aware of his presence, he will take 

 to his heels and run up the road like a racer and if he cannot beat 

 you he will take to his wings. 



His diet is a prairie diet of bugs and seeds and his book ac- 

 count with man always shows a balance in his favor for there is 

 never a charge against him. 



