^''^'i^f ^^] Cooke, Winter Birds of Oklahoma. 485 



58. Astragalinus tristis tristis. Goldfinch. — A common winter 

 resident, seen after November 12 in small parties of 6-25 birds. They 

 remained fairly constant in numbers through the winter, the last being 

 seen March 25. 



59. Calcarius lapponicus lapponicus. Lapland Longspctr. — 

 None were seen until a sudden cold snap in February covered everything 

 with frozen rain; then on February 13, three were seen; the next day they 

 were present by hundreds if not by thousands. They swarmed everywhere 

 for a week and then on the night of February 19, with a clear sky and a 

 south wind, they disappeared as suddenly as they had come. 



60. Calcarius pictus. Smith's Longspur. — Came November 17, 

 when there was hardly a sign of approaching winter and the leaves had not 

 all fallen from the trees. They became common November 26, when the 

 second norther of the season brought many birds from the north, and they 

 stayed through heat and cold, ice, snow, and rain, until the bulk left 

 February 19 and the last February 26. They did not increase in numbers 

 the second week in February, when the Lapland Longspurs became so 

 abundant, but they were still common on February 19 and the next day 

 not one was to be found. The only birds seen after this date were a few 

 flying north on February 26. 



61. Calcarius ornatus. Chestnut-collared Longspur. — Among 

 the hundreds of Lapland Longspurs that came in February were a few of the 

 Chestnut-collared. The first were seen February 16, less than a dozen in 

 all and they remained only a few days; they were seen again February 18, 

 but on February 20 could not be found nor were they seen again later. 



62. Rhynchophanes mccowni. McCown's Longspur. Seen only 

 once, when a flock of 40-50 birds was found February 19. 



63. Pooecetes gramineus gramineus. Vesper Sparrow. — First 

 identified with certainty in the fall on October 14; flocks were present the 

 rest of the month, but these soon passed on and the few stragglers left 

 disappeared soon after November 9. None were seen through the winter 

 until a spring migrant — a single bird — arrived February 25. No more 

 were seen until March 11, when they became at once common and remained 

 so until March 19; still present March 25, but in greatly decreased numbers. 



64. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus. Western Savannah 

 Sparrow. — Was already common September 7, and remained so through- 

 out the winter, but was much less numerous during the coldest weather 

 than either fall or spring. A decided increase was noted on February 13, 

 and the next day the birds were common, scattered in parties of five or less 

 all over the fields; two days later their numbers still further increased, only 

 to decrease in another two days and to diminish by at least one half in two 

 days more. They became rather uncommon the last week in February, 

 but were common again March 3 and abundant by March 11. On March 

 21 the Savannah Sparrows outnumbered in the open fields all other species 

 combined, and were still more common the next day, when in a single field 

 there were certainly not less than a thousand, and probably over two 



