62 NUKTII AMERIC^VN BIRDS. 



as closely allied to the Bobolink, and described it as a Dolichonyx. He 

 describes the birds as gregarious, consorting with the Cowbirds, and, at the 

 time he met with them, uttering most delightful songs. Towards evening 

 they sometimes saw these lards in all directions around them, on the hilly 

 gi'ounds, rising at intervals to some height, hovering and tlai)i)ing their wings, 

 and, at the same tiLie, giving forth a song wliicli Mr. Nuttall describes as 

 being something like urcf-irect-ivt-wt-ivt, notes that were between the hurried 

 warble of the Bobolink and the melody of a Skylark. It is, he ^nys, one 

 of tlie sweetest soiigstei-s of th.e prairies, is tame and unsuspicious, and the 

 whole employment of the little band seemed to be an ardent emulation ot 



SOUL'. 



It feeds on the ground, and, as stated by Mr. Townsend, may be seen in 

 flocks 'om sixty to a hundreil touether. It was, so far as tlieir observa- 

 tions wei. , nd inhabiting exclusively the wide grassy plains of the Platte. 

 They did not see it to the w^est of the Black Hills, or the iii-st range of the 

 liockv Mountains. 



To Mr. Xuttall's account Mr. Townsend adds that this bird is strictly gre- 

 garious, that it feeds on the ground, around which it runs in the manner of the 

 Grass Finch, to wliich, in its habits, it seems to be somewhat allied. Mr. 

 Townsend adds that, as their caravan moved along, large flocks of these birds, 

 sometimes to the number of sixty or a hundred individuals, were started 

 from the ground, and the piebaid appearance of the males and females pro- 

 miscuously intermingled presented a very striking and by no means unpleas- 

 ing eftect. While the flock was engaged in feeding, some of the males were 

 observed to rise suddenly to considerable height in the air, and, poising 

 themselves over their companions with their wings in constant and rapid 

 motion, continued nearly stationary. In this situation they poured forth a 

 number of very lively and sweetly modulated notes, and, at the expiration 

 of about a minute, descended to the ground and moved about as before. 

 Mr. Townsend also states that he met with none of these birds west of the 

 Black Hills. 



^Ir. Iiidgway also mentions that though he found these birds very abun- 

 dant on the plains east of the P^ ck Hills, he met with only a single speci- 

 men to the westward of that range. This was at Parley's Park, among the 

 Wahsatch IMountains. 



Dr. Gambel, in his paper on the Birds of California, states that he met 

 with small flocks of this handsome sj^ecies in the bushy plains, and along the 

 marsjjins of streams, durini«- the winter months. And Dr. Heermann states 

 that he also found tlii>: species numerous in California, Xew ^lexico, and 

 Texas. Arriving in the last-named State in May, he found this species there 

 already mated, and about to commence the duties of incubation. 



Mr. Dresser found these birds common near San Antonio during the win- 

 ter. In December he noticed several flocks near Eagle Pass. They frequented 

 the roads, seeking the horse-dung. They were (^uite shy, and when disturbed 



