316 



ZOOLOGY— BIEDS. 



imens collected. During the breeding season, it retires to the marshes 

 and sloughs, where, among the rushes, it finds suitable sites for its nests. 

 These are quite large, and oftentimes bulky structures, but show a 

 decree of skill in the neat manner in which the coarse grasses and rushes 

 are woven in a firm, compact domicile, commensurate with the size of the 

 bird. On the borders of the alkali lakes of Southern Colorado, I found 

 them very numerous, and, as usual, in large noisy communities. In the 

 time of depositing their eggs, the pairs seemed to vary very much. Thus, 

 June 22, of many nests found, some contained young just hatched, others 

 fresh eggs, while other nests still were in process of construction. Later in 

 the tail, they unite together in large flocks of old and young, and, leaving 

 to a great extent the marshes, wend their way into the cultivated districts, 

 to forage on the grain fields ; by this means they soon become very plump, 

 and then furnish tidbits for the table by no means to be despised. Noted 

 by Dr. Hoffman in considerable numbers at Camp Independence, Cal., in 



August. 

















No. ' Sex. 



Locality. 



Date. j 



Collector. 



Wing. 



Tail. 



Bill. 



Tarsus. 



409 



1 

 62S 

 ■75 

 732 

 735 

 754 



£ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 £ ad. 

 9 ad. 

 Jun. 

 £ ad. 



9 ad. 

 £ jun. 

 9 jun. 



9 



9 



9 



9 

 £ ad. 



Camp Halleck, Nev... 

 do 



May 14, 1S71 

 do 



F. Bischoff 











do 











do 



... do 



. .. do 











do 



do 



do 











do 



.do 



do 











do 



... do 



do 











do 



do 



do 











do 



.. do 



do 











do 



do 



do 











.do . 



do 



do 











do 



...do 



do 











do 



do 



do 



do 











. . do 



do 











Cove Creek, Utah 



Nov. 15, 1S72 



June 3, 1S73 

 Aug. 27, 1S73 

 Aug. 22, 1S74 

 Sept. 14, 1S74 

 do 



II. W. Henshaw and 



Dr. II. C. Yarrow. 

 Dr. J. T. Rothrock . . . . 



II. W. Henshaw 



C. E. Aiken 











5.29 

 5-54 



3-7i 

 4-13 



0.S5 

 0.80 



1. 35 

 '•3' 



Camp Apache, Ariz . . . 



Rio Grande, Colo 



San Pedro River, Colo, 

 do 



Dr. J. T. Rothrock 











. do . . 











do 



do 



do 











do 



do 



do 











91'i 



Camp Grant, Ariz 



Oct. 3, 1S74 



do 





















