Vol i^0? IV ] Cameron, Birds of Custer & Dawson Counties, Mont. 405 



1 first observed English Sparrows here on December 6, 1899, at Terry. 

 These birds are now common in towns along the Northern Pacific Railroad, 

 and are visitors to different ranches. Numbers frequented, and bred, 

 upon the ranches of Messrs. Archdale and Price, near Knowlton, but all 

 subsequently departed. 



130. Plectrophenax nivalis. Snowflake. — Abundant. An erratic, 

 but regular winter visitor in both counties. My records (from 1889) show 

 that this species is most plentiful in February, may appear here as early 

 as November 18, but is not seen after March 16. Snowflakes are more 

 numerous in severe winters, and, associating with Horned Larks, form 

 vast flocks numbering many hundred birds. They are fond of feeding on 

 the haystacks at parts from winch the hay has been fresh cut, and rye 

 stacks possess a great attraction for them. In very cold weather their 

 tameness is such that they may be caught with an ordinary stable fork, 

 and during the first week of February, 1893, Mr. J. H. Price saw seven or 

 eight Snowflakes which had been frozen to death. The birds show all 

 shades of buff and gray, while some are black and white with buff heads. 

 Snowflakes perch on corrals here, but I have never observed them to perch 

 in trees, although this is a well known habit referred to by many ornithol- 

 ogists in different parts of the world. 



131. Calcarius lapponicus. Lapland Longspur. — Not common. 

 An erratic winter migrant in very severe weather, associating with flocks 

 of Snowflakes. On February 16, 1904, I kept under observation for two 

 days twenty of these Longspurs, which consorted with several times this 

 number of Snowflakes at my corrals in Dawson County. A flock of about 

 fifty Redpolls nearby, did not mix with the other birds. Some of the 

 adult male Longspurs had conspicuous chestnut on the back of the neck 

 and blue throats, partly concealed by white feathers. Their plumage 

 was altogether brighter than I had supposed from written descriptions. 

 The Longspurs closely resembled the Snowflakes in their habits, and ran 

 about swiftly inside the corrals or perched on the bars. Like the latter, 

 they searched on the haystacks or manure heap, and, as with them, indi- 

 vidual Longspurs became absolutely fearless, from the effects of cold and 

 hunger. 



132. Calcarius ornatus. Chestnut-collared Longspur. — Common 

 summer resident in both counties; a typical prairie bird. Arrives in small 

 companies early in May, but never, to my knowledge, in the large flocks 

 characteristic of McCown's Longspur. It always associates with the 

 latter bird, and I have found the nests of both species close together. 

 Chestnut-collared Longspurs only frequent high tablelands, and are most 

 numerous on the big flat about Terry (Custer County) between the Powder 

 River and Fallon Creek, whose southern boundary is the pine hills around 

 Knowlton. One of my pastures, at the commencement of this flat, was a 

 favorite nesting site with them and R. mccowni. The birds are paired 

 by the end of May, and set about making their nests of grass, lined with 

 the same or cow hair, on the ground. These are invariably placed under 

 a clump of wild oaks or tall weeds, and the sitting bird is below the surface 



