X "'i'H:5 XX | EWBIG, Some Birds of the Chicago Area. 239 



wind-swept fields they may be seen from October to May, although 

 they sometimes seem to disappear for a few days or weeks when 

 the winds of winter are at their highest. I said, they may be 

 seen; thai is however only partly true, for when they are on the 

 ground, busily gleaning seeds, their color is so obliterative, that 

 one does not see them before they are almost stepped upon and 

 Hike wing. When, however, in May they have their almost perfect 

 nuptial plumage, the males are more conspicuous, owing to the 

 deep black throat, but even then only when moving, as the white 

 band on the side of the neck serves to break up the outline of the 

 form of the bird. May 4, 1912, the fields, especially newly sown 

 oat-fields, were literally alive with thousands of Calcarius lap- 

 ponicus lapponicus, most in their fine breeding dress. Next day 

 the clouds of them had disappeared; a few stragglers, however, 

 were seen as late as May 9. Among the hordes of C. lapponicus 

 now and then a Smith's Longspur (Calcarius pictus) may be seen, 

 a male of which I took May 1, 1912, the first record for the 

 county. 



A greater surprise awaited me on April 20, 1912, when, in walk- 

 ing over the old fields nearby, I saw among the many lapponicus, 

 five Chestnut-collared Longspurs (Calcarius ornatus). I was with- 

 out a gun, but they let me approach to within fifteen feet, where 1 

 watched them at leisure through the glass. I hurried home and 

 looked at a skin of the species in my collection, from their breeding 

 grounds, took my gun and hurried out, but did not see them 

 again. The butty throat of ornatus can, of course, not be eon- 

 founded with the deep black of lapponicus, especially after one has 

 seen thousands of the latter, in all plumages, and they were even 

 then present in numbers. 



Nelson's Sparrow (Passerherbulus nelsoni nelsoni) I have taken 

 twice, on August 31, 1910, and on September 16, 1911. There is 

 only one previous record of this species for Du Page County, by 

 Mr. 15. T. Gault, who writes me that a female was taken at 

 (den Ellyn on October 2, 1893. 



For I fenslow's Sparrow (Passerherbulus henslouri henslovd) I have 

 an earlier date than that given for this species in Woodruff's 

 ' Birds of the Chicago Area,' namely March 28, (1910), while it is 

 there staled to arrive about the middle of April. 



