The Birds of El Paso County, Colorado 567 



are raised in a season. The last of August and first of Sep- 

 tember they gather in large flocks, composed of adults and 

 young of the year, the latter often hard to identify in the 

 field, and are found about the brushy and weedy places every- 

 where. When the young are fledged and able to take care of 

 themselves the males separate into little flocks by themselves 

 and the females and young are in other flocks. The males 

 migrate first, which is a common habit with various birds. 



Spizella pallida. Clay-colored Sparrow. 



Migrant; rather common on the plains. Arrives about 

 the 7th of May and found until about the 25th. It has been 

 taken in the fall migration as early as July 25th, and by the 

 middle of September all have gone on. 



Often found in flocks along the more open stream bot- 

 toms, and in weedy fields, avoiding the thickest brush; also 

 found on the prairies. 



Spizella breweri. Brewer's Sparrow. 



Migrant ; common ; a few breed on the plains. Arrive-? 

 about the first week in May, earliest date April -30, 1873 and 

 1898. The fall migration has passed by the middle of Sep- 

 tember. 



Brewer's Sparrow probably breeds in small numbers in 

 the County. Aiken found it July 14, 1897, at Ramah; June 

 25, 1899, at the Garden Ranch, where several pairs were breed- 

 ing; and took a nestling near Colorado Springs, August 6, 

 1898, and also young in downy plumage August 22, 1897. 

 Breeds in low bushes, apparently preferring sage brush and 

 greasewood, of which there is but little in the County; here 

 it is found about tthe scrubby bushes along outcropping rock- 

 ledges. Aiken recorded the song as b::-c-3 te-e-e-e-e-e. 



Junco aikeni. White-winged Junco. Aiken's Junco. 



Winter resident ; common. Arrives the middle or latter 



