486 Cooke, Winter Birds of Oklalioma. [oct. 



thousand, individuals. They could be seen and heard on all sides all the 

 time. The next day the numbers remained the same, while the day follow- 

 ing a walk over the same ground revealed two birds only. A few were still 

 present when the observations ceased April 4. 



65. Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus. Western Grass- 

 hopper Sparrow.— Though of course it had been present long before, it 

 was not identified until October 29, and was common November 5. It 

 left soon after, and was so rare through the winter that the total record was 

 two birds December 25, one February 9, one a week later, and one March 1. 

 The first spring migrants arri^'ed March 3. 



66. Passerherbulus lecontei. LeConte's Sparrow. — Though un- 

 doubtedly wintering not far distant, it was not seen at Caddo, until a 

 dozen or more were noted February 16. Two days later it was abundant 

 in all the open fields, most of these birds leaving the night of February 19; 

 two individuals on February 26, were the last seen. 



67. Chondestes grammacus strigatus. Western Lark Sparrow. 

 — Was common September 1, scattered singly over the fields and roads and 

 had evidently been there all summer. It left by September 10, and had 

 not yet returned when the observations closed the first of April. 



68. Zonotrichia querula. Harris's Sparrow. — The first seen were 

 two in town November 8, one with black head and throat patch, the other 

 with no black feathers. Several were seen November 16 and a smalbparty 

 November 26. In the bottomland along the Blue River November 29, 

 not a one was seen, but in the bushes fringing the smaller streams, they 

 gradually became more common until by Christmas they had become the 

 most common species. They were in small parties scattered along the 

 branches and would keep flying ahead of a person until several of these 

 parties had united to make a flock of 40-50 birds. On December 25, about 

 one male in a dozen showed the black head and jet black throat, while half 

 of the rest began to show black feathers among the brownish ones of the 

 throat and breast. 



They were least numerous from about January 15 to February 23. Up to 

 February 18, no real black-headed bird had been seen in the spring, though 

 all were showing black feathers on the crown. By March 1 some of the 

 males were in full plumage. By February 26 they had become common 

 again in their northward migration showing that many winter to the south 

 of Caddo. These returning birds spread over the country more than did 

 the winter residents and on March 5 a large party was seen feeding on the 

 ground in a barn yard on the prairie. 



On January 3, they began to appear in town, and on January 7 when 

 some bird seed was throwTi out near the house, a party of some 20 Harris's 

 Sparrows almost monopolized the free lunch. Harris's Sparrow had two 

 notes, one a clear whistle something like that of the White-throat, and the 

 other a queer chuckle, while a few days later a third note was distin- 

 guished like one trying to say ' chink ' and ' peep ' at the same time. 



By the middle of January the three Zonotrichias had settled into their 



