2 68 SETON on ManitobaH Jlirds. [J"b r 



of the Owls, an exceedingly loud and piercing scream of anger, 

 and a reiterated shrieking, almost exactly like that of the Kestrel, 

 but stronger and in a deeper key. The regal beauty of this 

 bird, his proud, conscious look of strength and power, the snap 

 and fire of his every movement, can only be appreciated by 

 those who have had an opportunity of judging for themselves. 



Band's Bunting {Passerculus bairdi) is a species of consid- 

 erable interest. It is exceedingly abundant in suitable localities 

 of this country. I give the following in full from my unpub- 

 lished notes on the Birds of Manitoba. 



I found this species throughout Western Manitoba wherever 

 the surroundings were congenial. On the Big Plain it is fairly 

 common, but on the prairies of the upper Assiniboine it is ex- 

 ceedingly abundant. I traversed that country in June, 1S84. 

 At that time all the birds were in full song. The scrubby 

 prairies, from the Finger Board to Shoal Lake, were vocal 

 with the songs of Shattuck Buntings and Savanna Sparrows ; 

 where the prairies widened and became more clear, the loud 

 Meadow Lark joined in, or when the trail dipped into some 

 hollow where the red willow was thickly growing, the husky- 

 voiced Lecontc's Sparrow added his weak song to the tumult. 

 But in the low flats by Shoal Lake, where the ground was hard- 

 baked and sparkling with alkali, where the grass was scanty 

 and wiry, a new voice lent its aid to the choir, for here is the 

 favorite haunt of Baird's Bunting. Whenever the trail crossed 

 one of these dry alkali flats, the notes of this bird were sure to 

 be heard on all sides. The song may be rendered trick-c-trick- 

 c-trik-eceec-chiky-le-roit, with a peculiar tinkling utterance that 

 at once distinguishes it from the song of the Savanna Sparrow. 

 Another type of song with this species is like trick-e-trick-c- 

 t 'y 1 ' kc-e-trrrrrrrrr . 



In the Shell River country the dry alkali bottoms were more 

 frequent, and the Bunting became numerous in proportion. I 

 found its nest also, but will not describe it, as I was unable to 

 substantiate the fact by shooting the bird. 



The general habits of this bird are much like those of the 

 Savanna Sparrow. When singing it is usually perched in 

 some tuft of grass, each foot grasping a number of stalks to 

 furnish support. When disturbed, it flits low over the flat and 

 drops into the grass. 



