^°l8!w!"] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 601 



i« common, and breeds here (Small), Portage la Prairie: Rare; sum- 

 mer resident; arrives about May 1 (Nash). Carberry : Eare; summer 

 resident; breeding (Thompson). Qu'Appelle: Summerrcsideut; breeds; 

 arrives April 13 (Guernsey). Common in Minnesota (Trippe). 



On Jiiiio 6, 1984, fonnd a nest (of chippy) at i'oi-tiigc la Prairie, containing three 

 egos. I have noticed that the song of this bird is iu Manitoba diliereut from that 

 heard from the species iu the East. (Nash, in MSS.) 



This species is quite rare in Manitoba. The earliest record I have is 

 April 10, 1882, but this was the only one seen at the time, and it was 

 fully two weeks before others appeared. After the spring migration I 

 lost sight of the species, but afterwards found it in full song at one or 

 two places along the edge of the sand hills. It was seen only in three 

 or four localities. The.se were generally dry, sunny openings on the 

 edge of the woods. I found one nest in a low spruce tree, but I was 

 too late, as the young birds had flown. The male bird is heard every 

 morning in spring and early summer, uttering his characteristic, pro- 

 longed twitter from some high perch near his chosen bush. Another 

 note of this sparrow is a short "chij)," which is so commonly heard 

 that it has given rise to the ordinary name of the species. The nest is 

 almost invariably lined with horse hair, whence the other common 

 name, " Hair bird." 



197. Spizella pallida. Clay-colored Sparrow. Ashy-nape. 



Very abundant; summer resident on scrubby prairies and half open 

 lowlands. Very numerous about Pembina ; breeding; Turtle Mountain 

 and Mouse Kiver (Cones). Red River Settlement (C. A. Hubbard and 

 D. Gunn). Shoal Lake: May 18, 1887 (Christy). Portage la Prairie: 

 Very abundant summer resident (not at Winnipeg); arrives about May 

 10 ; departs about Septend)er 1 5 (Nashl. Lake Manitoba and westward, 

 June IG and 25, 1881 (Macoun). Carberry: In all scrublands; very 

 abundant summer resident; breeding twice each season; Souris River; 

 Fairview ; near Fingerboard ; near Rapid City ; near Birtle ; Binscarth ; 

 breeding everywhere; very abundant on west side of Duck Mountain 

 (Thompson). Shell River: 1885, tirst seen on May 18; is common all 

 summer, and breeds here; nest with four eggs found (Calcutt). 



June 28, 1882. Trail 15 miles west of Fingerboard; in the evening 

 shot a Clay-colored Sparrow. The species is very abundant about here, 

 and its peculiar grasshopper-like notes are heard from every patch of 

 dry scrub land. 



June 20, Rapid City : All spring I have been puzzled by a singular 

 lisping song that is uttered by a small sparrow which frequents scrubby 

 localities. The song, if it may be so called, may be represented by the 

 syllables ^^scree, scrce,^^ sometimes repeated two or three times, I have 

 at length shot one in the very act, and find that it is the Clay-colored 

 Sparrow. This species is extremely abundant on the i)rairies from here 

 to Carberry wherever there is any brushwood. Its usual occupation 



