—26— 



WESTERN CHIPPING SPARROW, Spizella socialis arizonae 



Coues. 



This familiar species was everywhere abundant, and its well- 

 known familiarity and very general distribution caused it to re- 

 ceive little attention beyond the note regarding its presence in 

 the various localities visited. Whether climbing rocky crests 

 in search of juncos or threading the bushes in quest of other 

 species, we were certain to find the omnipresent chipping spar- 

 row, generally with an insect morsel in its mouth to hand over 

 to its hungry younglings crouching in the bush. 



Only one nest of the western chipping sparrow was taken, 

 the record being for June 15. It was found in a bush near 

 the edge of the woods at the right of the mouth of Swan 

 River. The site was three feet from the ground, near the 

 top of the bush. There were four eggs, in which incubation was 

 well advanced. The nest is made altogether of very fine black- 

 ish rootlets, with a substantial lining of horsehair. The cavity 

 is an inch and three-fourths in diameter, and one and one-half 

 inches deep. These eggs are dingy pale green, marked prin- 

 cipally with pale rusty brown in blotches of varying size. Be- 

 sides these, there are blotches of black color irregularly found 

 as markings. 



WRIGHT'S FLYCATCHER, Empidonax wrightii Baird. 



Though common as one of the breeding birds of the 

 Flathead region, Wright's flycatcher seems to limit its resi- 

 dence during the summer to a very short season, only sufficient 

 to rear its brood. Four nests of this flycatcher were taken 

 during the period under consideration in these notes, and in 

 each instance the female was taken to secure perfect identifi- 

 cation; upon our return to the Station in the first week of 

 August and during the month following, we were unable to 

 secure a specimen of Wright's flycatcher in any of the localities 

 where they had been observed earlier in the season. How- 

 ever, this flycatcher is unusually shy under observation, gen- 

 erally managing to place itself behind friendly foliage, hence 

 its presence could be easily overlooked. It is more than proba- 

 ble, however, that like Traill's flycatcher, common in the 

 same localities, it takes its departure for southern climes to- 

 ward the end of July, or rather disappears from its accustomed 

 haunts about that time. 



