1921 



BIRDS OP MONTANA 



1912, and May 22, 1913 (Bailey, MS) ; Missoula, April 19 (Kittredge, MS). K^ll 

 dates: Columbia Falls, October 7, 1893 (Cooke, 1909c, p. 258); Bozeman, Sep- 

 tember 13, 1908; Missoula, September 23 (Kittredge, MS). 



Nesting takes place mainly in June and July, and there are usually t\\o 

 broods. There are not many ])ublislied dates of nesting. The earliest ijatc i 

 can find for eggs is May 28, in Custer County (Cameron, l!)(iSa, p. 11 i. Yoiuil'' 

 have been seen out of the nest Jum- 17 and 2-4 at Missoula (Kittredge, MS\ 1 

 found numerous nests on Pipestone Ci'eek. Jefferson County, in Jinie. liHd, in 

 which the eggs hatched almost uniformly about June I'd. 'I'lic latest nest on 

 record contained eggs July 1."), in Custer County ((.'amerou, liid^a, ]>. 11 ). Cam- 

 eron lists the bird in Custer Coiiut.v as the eastei'U race, liut r(^eent examination 

 of four birds from Miles City (Hedges, coll, I'niv, ^Montanai by Ur. Bishop 

 shows them to be of the western race. 



Fig. -6. Wi;sTKU\ CiiH'i'ixd Spakuow (i.\ 



NEST. PiriCSIONE BAS1.\, JEITERSO.N 



County; Jl'XE 16, 1910. 



235. Spizella pallida (Swainsou) 



Cl.\v-col(jred Spakkciw 



A common saunuer resident in the prairie region of the eastern part of the 

 state. Not known to occur west of the true prairies. It is reported by all ob- 

 servers in this eastern section, and its western limits in Montana ari' evidentl.v 

 about Yellowstone Count.v at the south, Fergus County in the miildle, and Ti'ton 

 County at the north. It breeds in most places in sage Ijrush, but in regions 

 where sage does not occur, as in Cascade and Teton counties, it occurs in areas 

 of shrubby cinquefoil, buffalo berry and other ])rairie slii'ulis. 



Migrations take i)lace in May and September. Tiie average of two .years' 

 arrival at Terry is May 17, the earliest Ma.y 16, 1905. At Great Falls the aver- 

 age of three years is :\ray 24 and earliest iMay 1(3, 1891 (Cooke, 1909c, \>. 259). 



