The Birds of El Paso County, Colorado 563 



them arrive the last of April and early in May, an extremely 

 early date being March 19, 1899. They begin to move south 

 the last of July, and are all gone by the middle of October. 



In spring the Savannah Sparrow^ is found around 

 meadows and marshy places, taking refuge in old dead weeds 

 when disturbed, and is quite apt to be about alfalfa fields 

 during May and to June first. In the autumn it is around 

 weedy fields and grassy places. Before June first most of 

 them go into the mountains and northward, breeding in this 

 County from 7,000 to 9,000 feet. It has not been found 

 breeding along the Fountain. A pair seen near Ramah in 

 June appeared to be getting ready to nest. The nest is placed 

 on the ground, well hidden in the grass. 



Ammodramus balrdi. Baird's Sparrow. 



Migrant, but rare in spring, there being but one record 

 for that season, May 6, 1873. Autumn records are more fre- 

 quent, Aiken, in 1897, securing specimens at various dates 

 from August 22 to October 13 ; in 1898 it appeared as early 

 as August 10. Most of these specimens were taken about, 

 weedy fields near the Broadmoor Ranch south of Colorado 

 Springs. 



October 5, 1872, Aiken killed one on the prairie 11 miles 

 east of Fountain which was practically a rediscovery of the 

 species which had been unknown since Audubon first described 

 it in 1844 from a specimen taken in eastern Montana, near 

 old Fort Union. North Dakota. This specimen of Aiken's 

 was described by him as a new species, Centronyx ochrocepha- 

 his, as it did not agree with the descriptions of any other 

 sparrows known at that time, and as a matter of fact was 

 in a different plumage from the bird described by Audubon. 

 Mr. Robert Ridgway examined Aiken's bird and expressed 

 the opinion that it was a new species. 



It is found on the prairies and in fields, but never in 

 brush or bushes, at least as observed in this region. 



