THE OOLOGIST. 



243 



I once caught one alive, which was 

 making himself at home in the barn. 



In yonder pines, or birches we notice 

 a flock of small birds industriously 

 searching for food. Their under parts 

 is whitish, with the feathers centerally 

 streaked with dusky, and a slightly yel- 

 lowish tinge around wings. It is per- 

 haps needless to say that this is thePine 

 Finch, and that they area common win- 

 ter visitor in this section. 



The White-bellied Nuthatch may be 

 seen around the dooryard, in the or- 

 chard, and in the deep woods. His 

 harsh and peculiar note is easy to recog- 

 nize, it is uttered frequently as he goes 

 up, down and around the tree trunks, 

 regardless of the laws of gravitation, in 

 his diligent search for food. 



The Shore Lark frequents the salt 

 marshes in flocks, making an occasion- 

 al visit inland when they often accom- 

 pany the Snow Buntings. 



The Pine Grosbeak visits us in ex- 

 tremely cold winters, then it feeds on 

 juniper berries to a great extent, and it 

 has a low pleasing warble like a great 

 many other northern birds. During a 

 snowstorm it is easy to approach. 



The Great Northern Shrike is most 

 common in the open country, where it 

 may be seen perched on a tree or a 

 fence-post patiently watching for its 

 prey. 



The Bohemian Wax wing is rare in 

 this section. I once came across two, 

 which were, perched on a juniper tree, 

 and I had an excelent opportunity for 

 observing them, as they allowed me to 

 approach quite close without taking 

 flight. 



Charles L. Phillips, 



Taunton, Mass. 



The Chestnut-collared Longspur. 



Of all the birds which inhabit our 

 North Dakota prairies, there is none 

 with which I would part with more re- 

 luctance than with this bird. I never 

 think of the prairie, that sea of waving 



green speckled with floral gems of every 

 hue, without associating with it this 

 happy little songster. But what won- 

 der, for it is, I think I may safely say, 

 the most abundant resident of the prai- 

 rie. 



Unlike the Meadow Lark and Prairie 

 Horned Lark which seem to prefer 

 -plowed land grown up to grass and 

 weeds, and the Baird's Sparrow which 

 makes its home in wet and low-lying 

 prairie land, the Chestnut-collar 

 abounds on the higher and dryer por- 

 tions of the virgin field. 



It arrives here from the south dur- 

 ing the last week in April. This year I 

 find from my note-book that I first ob- 

 served it on April 22d. By the middle 

 of May they are extremely common, and 

 the fields resound with their melody. 

 Once seen and heard they are not soon 

 forgotten. They seldom sing except when 

 on the wing. They will rise from the 

 ground, make two or three undulating 

 flights after the manner of the American 

 Goldfinch, uttering a pleasing twitter, 

 and, having attained a height of 20 or 

 30 ft., they will slowly descend to the 

 ground with wings spread like a para- 

 chute, at the same time pouring forth 

 their beautiful but unique song. From 

 the first rosy messengers of morn till 

 the last fading sky of evening they are 

 untired in their singing. 



About the third week in May they be- 

 gin nesting and sets of eggs may be 

 found from the latter part of this month 

 to the end of July. The nest is a slight 

 hollow in the ground lined with dried 

 grasses, as is usual among other prairie 

 Fringillidae. The usual complement 

 of eggs is four (4), although sets of 3 and 

 5 are not at all uncommon. In this place 

 the nest of the Longspur is a common 

 repository for eggs of the Cowbird;three, 

 two or only one being found per nest. 



I think that two broods of Longspurs 

 are reared each season. 



These birds leave us in September. 



I append a slight description of the 

 birds and their eggs. 



