THE IOWA OKNITKOLCGIST. 



33 



habitat during- breeding- season. 

 The nests, while alwa3's upon 

 the ground are placed in 

 many different situations. 



Those for the first brood 

 are usually placed on the southern 

 slopes of hills and in door j^ards; 

 those for the second and third 

 broods are commonly found in 

 cornfields, often at the foot of a 

 stalk of corn."(C. R. Ball.) 

 "Have found second nests placed 

 in cornfields in a little hollow at 

 the foot of a bunch of corn, lined 

 with a few grasses; much le^s 

 substantially built t'.ian tl e fiist 

 nests of the season which are 

 built with thick linings to with- 

 stand the cold and frequently 

 heavy snow that falls on them." 

 (R. M. Anderson. Winnebago, 

 county.) "They frequently breed 

 in corn and oat fields and hund- 

 reds of their nests are destroyed 

 by the cultivator and drag, "(In 

 Winnebago county, J. Eugene 

 Law.) "In the spring they seek 

 meadows and pasture lands for 

 nests. Later as the Vv^eather be- 

 comes hotter I never find them 

 there but they g-o to the cornfields 

 and build their nests almost in- 

 variably beside a hill of growing 

 corn. The nest is sunken down 

 level with the soil and is very 

 hard to see. This hole is lined 

 (often very scantily) with soft 

 grasses and often with some hair 

 and milkweed down." (Marsh- 

 all county. A. P. Godley.) 

 "Breeds very early. Found a 

 nest with three young birds nearly 



ready to fly Apr. 9, 1889, and 

 Apr. 17, 1892, found nest with 

 four birds that could fly. After 

 the young are raised they mostly 

 migrate, only a few remaining 

 through the middle of summer; 

 beg-in to return early in Septem- 

 ber, and remain till first part of 

 November. This is the first bird 

 to arrive in the Spring- for the 

 past five years; earliest date of 

 arrival was Jan. 3 '93 and latest 

 Feb. 14, 1892. "(Jackson Co. H. 

 J. Giddings.) "April 14, 1890, 

 took a set 1-5, incubation advanc- 

 ed. Nest on top of a grassy hill 

 in town. A hollow in the ground 

 under a tussock of grass, lined 

 with grass. Apr. IS, 1891, found 

 two nests, one with three and one 

 with four eggs. April 17, the 

 latter contained three young and 

 one eg-g". Dimensions of this nest 

 were: Outside diameter 3>i^ in. 

 Inside 2 ia. Depth outside 2>^. 

 Inside 2. Composed of dry grass 

 lined with tow and milkweed cot- 

 ton. Situated in the middle of a 

 dunghill surrounded by a bunch 

 of dry grass. The nest containing 

 3 eggs was smaller with more 

 hemp and cotton. Similar sit- 

 uation." (Winnebago Co., J. 

 Eugene Law.) "The first set is 

 usually in April though eggs 

 have been taken near Forest City 

 in March." (R. M. Anderson.) 

 "Two or three broods are raised 

 each year, the first eggs being 

 laid as early as April 1st, while 

 the finding of fresh eggs as late 

 as July 15 is not uncommon. I 



