136 PACIFIC COAST AVIFAUNA No. 14 



(lays latei-. Another nest with two eggs was found July '2-i. 11)11, in which one 

 egg hatciicil July 30 and the young left by August 12 (Bailey, MS). I found a 

 nest witli four eggs at Yellow Bay, Flathead Lake, July 22. 1915. 



257. Calamospiza melanocorys Stejneger 



l/.\RK BuXTlN(i 



A snunuei- resident jirobably thi'oughout the state, in valleys and on the 

 pi-aii-ii's, breeding in open grass areas. In the eastern part of the state quite 

 eoniiuon. hut I'are or irregular westward, and only recorded from two localities 

 west of the divide. All observers in extreme eastern Montana record this spe- 

 cies. Westward, records are not so common, though the Lark Bunting appar- 

 entl.v ])reeds regularly in mountain valleys east of the divide in small numbers, 

 such as at Three Forks (Saunders, 1911a, p. 44), and in Broadwater Cour!t.y 

 (Saunders, 1912f, p. 218). The records west of the divide are as follows: Deer 

 Lodge Valley, two seen May 14, 1911 (Saunders, 1912a, p. 29) ; Bitterroot Val- 

 ley, common in August, 1908, and a few seen in the spring of 1909 (Bailey, MS). 



This species evidently fluctuates greatly in abundance from year to year. 

 There is considerable evidence to show that it was verj'' abundant in mountain 

 valleys, east of the divide, at least, in 1907. I was first informed of this, in re- 

 gard to the Gallatin Valley, by Prof. R. A. Cooley of the ilontana AgriculturBl 

 College. Later I heard more of this from various sources, people not acquainted 

 with birds describing the species to me, telling how common it was, and how 

 easil.v nests could be found. This referred to the Jefferson Valley and to the 

 regions aliout Towusend, Helena, Choteau and Great Falls. Evidence of unusual 

 abundance in Fergus Count.y also shows in the writings of Mr. Silloway, who 

 considered the species not very connnon in 1902 (19i)3a, p. 58), but mentions 

 ;he commonness of its nests in 1907 (1909, \). 87). 



Migrations take place in May and probabl.v in xVugust. Eight years at 

 Terry give May 15 for the average arrival, and May 10, 189o. the earliest (Cooke, 

 1914b, p. 267). Other dates of arrival are as follows: Gallatin Valley, May 24. 

 1909; Deer Lodge Valley, May 14, 1911; Dutton, I\Iay 19, 1915, and May 29, 

 1916 (DuBois, MS). There are no definite dates for fall migration. Occur- 

 rences in August are mentioned by several writers, but not later than that by 

 any. 



Nests have been found frequentl.y, and there are probably two broods in a 

 season. The earliest nest is one which contained three eggs May 25 and seven on 

 May 29, the young being out by June 10 (Cameron, 1908a, p. 43). The majority 

 of nests are found in June or early July. The latest was one containing eggs at 

 Two Forks of the Milk River, July 21. 1874 (Cones, 1874b, p. 599). The species 

 is f)-e(|uentl.v imposed upon by the Cowbird. Out of eighteen nests found on the 

 Yellowstone and Musselshell, five contained Cowbird 's eggs (Allen, 1874, p. 58). 



258. Piranga ludoviciana (Wilson) 



Western T.\n.\gee 

 A common sununei- i-esident of the western half of the state, eastward to the 



