590 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



uewly sown fields. The gizzards of those I opened were fnll of oats, 

 wheat, bnckwheat, and grass seed. There are two species, the Lap and 

 the Painted Lougspurs. Grangers, the farmers here call them indis- 

 criminately. The merry chee-chupping of the Laps, and the sweet 

 singing of the richly colored Painted Longspurs make a continuous 

 melody, like the spring jingling of blackbirds, but with more of the 

 tone of bobolinks. Both sing on the ground. None of the specimens 

 taken showed any anatomical signs of sexual excitement, so that they 

 l)robably go much farther north to breed. 



About the middle of May every year the Lap Lougspur comes to this 

 country, associated with the chestnut-collared Painted Buntings, in enor- 

 mous flocks, coming in May, just after the crops are in. They do a great 

 deal of damage, picking up first the seed that is exposed and afterwards 

 tearing it up when it begins to sprout. A large number that I shot 

 about this time had their gizzards full of oats, wheat, hayseed, and 

 buckwheat. 



When in the fields they have a curious habit of squatting just behind 

 some clod, and as their upper colors are nearly matched to the soil, they 

 are not easily observed, nor will they move until you are wuthin a few 

 feet; they then run a few feet and squat again, unless closely followed so 

 that they must fly. 



When in the air they move in great straggling flocks, all whistling 

 together, so there is a perfect tornado of song. Merrily they fly along 

 to the new-sown fields ; then the ragged flock drops a feeler, an anchor 

 or a pivot round which the whole army wheels, and after performing 

 two or three evolutions in close column, finally cease whistling and 

 swoop onto the field to forage. When "sprung" they rise in a dense 

 body, but soon at once spread out and begin the merry jingling, a sound 

 of multitudinous melody somewhat like the noise of Blackbirds. 



In the heat of the day (for we often have it over 80° F. during May, 

 shade register) they may be seen sitting in the shadows of the fence 

 posts, in each shadow a long group just the size of the post, and as the 

 shadow moves they will edge round to avoid the sun. 



As the middle of May passes the jingling music becomes louder and 

 more vigorous. The eflect of a large body of lougspurs singing is 

 somewhat similar to that of a small body of bobolinks. They {pictus 

 and lapponictis) now sing both in the air and on the ground. The 

 song of the Icqyponictis is like '■'■ chee-clmppy clmp^py'''' repeated with short 

 intervals ; Wxepictus has a more pretentious song. The latter went north 

 about the 20th of May, in 1884; the former remained until about the 1st 

 of June. 



They retire to the far northwest to breed, but return again during the 

 last week of September. They remain on the stubble fields for about two 

 weeks before migrating southward. Their numbers now are much less 

 than in the spring migration, contrary to what might be expected. 



