114 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 14 



dctxTiiiined, those taken by Hedges in Custer County, have proven to be alas- 

 ccHiiis. Records of this species west of the prairie region are as follows : Galla- 

 tin Coiuity, March 30, April 1 and 17, 1909 (Saunders, 1911a, p. 42) ; Race 

 Track, Deer Lodge County, October 30, 1910, and Anaconda, April 30, 1911 

 (Saunders, 1912a, p. 28). 



Fall and winter occurrences are as follows : Custer and Dawson counties, of 

 erratic appeai'anee in severe winters (Cameron, 1907, p. 405) ; Fergus County, 

 common in winter (Silloway, 1903a, p. 52) ; Fort Custer, April 4, 1885, and 

 Great Falls, September 13, 1889 (Cooke, 1910b, p. 241) ; Miles City, series of 

 twelve specimens in the University of Montana collection, taken by C. F. Hedges, 

 from September 20 to 27, 1900, and March 17, 1902 ; one in collection of L. B. 

 Bishop, taken September 24, 1900; Teton and Lewis and Clark counties, common 

 in winter and migrations, arriving October 31, 1912 (Saunders, 1914a, p. 137 j 

 in the winter months these birds are generally found in company with Horned 

 Larks and Snow Buntings. 



221. Calcarius omatus (J. K. Townsend) 



Chestnut-collared Longspu.i 



A common summer resident of the prairie region of the state, west to the 

 bases of the easternmost mountain ranges, but unknown west t'T those moun- 

 tains, even on the east side of the continental divide. All observers in the prairie 

 region mention the occurrence of this species. Its western limits are marked by 

 a line which crosses the state from northwest to southeast, beginning at the 

 eastern liase of the mountains on the Blackfoot Reservation in Teton County, 

 and prohably ending in Stillwater and Carbon counties. The line at tlie north 

 extends south to northern Lewis and Clark County, covering the drainage of the 

 Sun River, then turns east along the divide between the Sun and Dearborn riv- 

 ers, rounds the north end of the Belt Mountains about at Great Falls, and con- 

 tinues south in Fergus County on the east side of the mountains. Farther south 

 than this it cannot be traced definitely, because of lack of field work, but the 

 westernmost breeding area known is in the Lake Basin near Billings (Thomas, 

 ^IS ) . This species is common, but somewhat locally distributed, being found in 

 areas of rather long grass bordering marshy ground, or in wet hollows where 

 the soil is alkaline. 



The migrations take place in April and September. The average arrival at 

 Terry, from three years' observations, is May 2, the earliest April 26, 1908; at 

 Big Sandy the average of two years is May 3, with April 21, 1904, the earliest 

 (Cooke, 1910b, p. 240). Specimens in the University of ]Montana collection, 

 taken at Miles City by. C. F. Hedges, are dated April 20, 1900, and April 28, 

 1901. At Dutton dates of its arrival are April 14, 1915, April 13, 1916, and 

 April 20, 1917 (DuBois, MS). Fall dates are: Terry, September 23, 1903 

 (Cooke, 1910b, p. 241) and Miles City, September 27, 1900 (Hedges, coll. Univ. 

 iloutana). The nest has been found quite frequently. Nesting begins in May 

 and continues, either as a second brood or as delayed nestings, till July. At 

 Dutton the earliest nest with eggs was found May 8, 1915, and the latest, July 



