BIRDS OF KAiS"SAS 131 



the grounds to searcli for the females is true, but he omits 

 to state that many are present, and mate upon the '^ scratch- 

 ing grounds." The birds are not strictly true to each other 

 during the love season, and this is true of most birds when 

 tte assistance of the male is not required in hatching and 

 rearing of the young. 



Their nests are placed on the ground in the thick prairie 

 grass, and at the foot of bushes on the barren ground; 

 a hollow scratched out in the soil, and sparingly lined with 

 grasses and a few feathers. Eggs eight to twelve, l.G8x- 

 1.25 ; tawny brown, sometimes with an olive hue, and occa- 

 sionally sprinkled with brown; in form, rather oval. A 

 set of nine eggs, collected at Pewaukee, Wisconsin, May 

 27th, 1883, measure: 1.65x1.27, 1.64x1.24, 1.66x1.22, 

 1.69x1.23, 1.62x1.24, 1.69x1.28, 1.61x1.27, 1.64x1.26, 

 1.64x1.25. 



XLIIL— KILLDEEE. 



Aegialitis vocifera (Linn.). 



Summer resident; abundant. Arrive the last of Feb- 

 ruary to first of April ; begin laying about the middle of 

 April ; remain until late in the fall. 



Habitat. The whole of temperate IN'orth America; 

 breeding throughout its range; wintering from the Gulf 

 coast and southern California, south into northern South 

 America. 



This noisy, familiar species frequents alike the high 

 prairies, the low lands, margins of streams or pools of 

 water; in fact, appears to be at home wherever it may 

 alight. As a rule it is easily approached, not being either 

 wise or timid. While collecting in the winter of 1889, 



