^°i'90?"^n jB^nt, Summer Birds of Southwestern Saskatchewan. 31 



widespread tail, pouring out a most delightful, rich, warbling, bubbling 

 song. 



114. Pooecetes gramineus confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow. — 

 Abundant on the prairies. Another familiar bird of the grassy plains but 

 not so attractive as the Longspurs. Nests with eggs were found on May 

 29 and June 3, 1905, and on June 7 and July 12, 1906. A favorite victim 

 of the Cowbird. 



115. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus. Western Savanna Spar- 

 row. — Verj' common on the meadows and around the edges of the sloughs 

 and lakes. Seen occasionally on the higher prairies. A nest with eggs 

 was taken on June 5, 1905, and another on July 6, 1906. 



116. Coturniculus bairdii. Baird's Sparrow. — Uncommon, but quite 

 a number of pairs were located in the grassy hollows on the prairies. These 

 pairs were widely scattered but we could generally locate them by their 

 peculiar songs in nearly all suitable localities. Their song is somewhat 

 intermediate between those of the Savanna and the Grasshopper Sparrows. 

 The birds are very shy and we p.xperienced some difficulty in collecting 

 them. No nests were found. 



117. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned Sparrow. — I saw a 

 few and collected one specimen in the Cypress Hills on May 31, 1905. Prof. 

 Macoun recorded them as breeding there. 



Dr. Bishop found them in the Cypress Hills, on July 28, 1906, keeping 

 to the summits. 



118. Spizella socialis. Chipping Sparrow. — Rare. I saw two and 

 collected one of them in the Cypress Hills on May 31, 1905. Dr. Bishop 

 also collected one on Mackaye Creek on July 11, 1906. 



119. Spizella pallida. Clay-colored Sparrow% — Very common in 

 the underbrush along the creeks and among the sandhills. In the latter 

 locality we found 5 nests in one day, June 3, 1905. The nests were in low 

 underbrush, within a few inches of the ground, and almost invariably 

 contained Cowbird 's eggs. 



120. Junco mearnsi. Pink-sided Junco. — "I secured a female and 

 two young in the Cypress Hills on July 27, and a male and one young 

 several miles away on the following day. No others noted." (Bishop.) 



121. Melospiza cinerea juddi. Dakota Song Sparrow. — Uncommon 

 in the underbrush along Skull Creek and Maple Creek and in the Cypress 

 Hills. 



The birds which we collected were referred to this form, though I doubt 

 if this form will stand the test of a much needed revision of the Song Spar- 

 rows of eastern North America. In my opinion there are at least two and 

 possibly three eastern races worthy of recognition. To one of these forms, 

 found on the Atlantic coast, our Saskatchewan birds and the North Dakota 

 birds bear a close reseinblance. 



122. Pipilo maculatus arcticus. Arctic Towhee. — Uncommon in 

 the Maple Creek and Skull Creek timber. No nests were found. "Toler- 

 ably common on Mackaye Creek." (Bishop.) 



