^°'i^lO^^^] Ferry, Summer Birds of Saskatchewan. 201 



84. Rhynchophanes mccowni. McCown's Longspur. — "I found 

 ]\IcCown's Longspur plentiful at Regina where I took one nest June 4. 

 It was located in a depression near the road on the open prairie where there 

 was practically no grass. It had been run over by a wagon, crushing the 

 nest out of shape. The bird, however, was on the nest and the eggs were 

 uninjured." (Barnes.) 



85. Pooecetes gramineus confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow. — 

 Plentiful at Prince Albert and Quill Lake. 



86. Passerculus savanna alaudinus. Western Savannah Sparrow. — 

 Common at Prince Albert. Abundant at Quill Lake, where it was nesting. 

 Nests were usually sunk deep in the ground at the base of a bunch of grass 

 on the prairie. The birds would seldom flush from the nest till nearly 

 trodden upon. The eggs were usually four, occasionally five, and were 

 fresh from June 10 to 20. On July 14 a nest with two eggs and one of the 

 Cowbird found. Fledglings just able to fly were seen quite commonly on 

 July 3. They were usually flushed from the grass. 



87. Passerherbulus lecontei. Leconte's Sparrow. — This species 

 was common in some localities about Prince Albert and was plentiful in the 

 alkali grass along the edge of Quill Lake. One nest was found on June 22 

 with two sparrow eggs and one of the Cowbird. The parent bird was 

 flushed from the nest. It was situated at the edge of a willow tliicket 

 under a flattened wisp of dead grass, through a minute hole in which the 

 bird descended perpendicularly into the nest. The nest was found aban- 

 doned on June 29, one sparrow egg only remaining. On July 14 a Leconte's 

 Sparrow was flushed from her nest in a reclining wisp of dried grass . The 

 nest was entered by a small hole in the wisp above the nest. This habit 

 of nesting in a bunch or tussock of dead grass, in wMch the entrance hole 

 is a mere parting of the grasses, and very inconspicuous, seems character- 

 istic of this species. The above nest contained four young with pin- 

 feathers on the feather tracts. 



88. Passerherbulus nelsoni. Nelson's Sparrow. — One specimen 

 taken on June 11. 



89. Zonotrichia albicoUis. White-throated Sparrow. — Tolerably 

 common at Prince Albert, its notes were several times heard at night 

 coming from a poplar thicket. 



90. Spizella pallida. Clay-colored Sparrow. — Abundant at Prince 

 Albert and Quill Lake, where it was one of the most characteristic birds 

 of these regions. Its monotonous insect-like trill was heard from all sides 

 on several mornings. The nests were usually placed in small wild rose 

 bushes or tangled weeds on a sloping hillside, very close to the grovnid. 

 They usually contained four eggs. Nests with fresh eggs were found at 

 Prince Albert June 1 and Jvme 7, and at Quill Lake June 16. The song of 

 this bird is a rasping quee-quee-quee. 



91. Spizella pusilla arenacea. Western Field Sparrow. — "Rare: 

 only one seen. This I flushed from a nest fourteen miles southeast of 

 Prince Albert on June 7. The eggs were fresh." (Barnes.) 



92. Melospiza melodia melodia. Song Sparrow. Or, Melospiza 



