Harris— Birds of the Kansas City Region. 303 



They seem to occur most commonly in tbe Missouri bottoms 

 and bluff regions, but are found in suitable sparrow territory 

 over the entire county. 



The beautiful though rather subdued song of this sparrow is 

 regularly heard in late April and early May, and occasionally 

 in the fall (October 14, 1917). 



Melospiza geoegiana (Latham). Swamp Sparrow. 

 Common migrant and not uncommon winter resident. 



The first northbound Swamp Sparrows arrive early in March 

 though during mild seasons they may come as early as the mid- 

 dle of February. They are present until late in April and the 

 last are seen during tbe first week in May (May 9, 1914, May 

 9, 1915, latest). The autumn migrants are present from the 

 middle of October until the first or second week in November, 

 after which only the scattered winter residents are to be found. 



Like the Lincoln's Sparrow this bird seems to like best the 

 bottoms and bluffs along the river, especially in winter, where 

 there is to be found plenty of food and shelter in the grassy 

 sloughs and deep tangles of underbrush. In less numbers they 

 are also found on the prairie regions in winter, about hedges, 

 thickets, wooded ravines, weed patches and brushy creek bot- 

 toms. 



Passeeella iliaca iliaca (Merrem). Fox Sparrow. 

 Very common migrant and fairly common winter resident. 



During open and mild winters when the Fox Sparrow is com- 

 mon, it is difficult to say just when the migrants arrive, though 

 they are particularly numerous all during March. The few 

 April records are for stragglers and are all in the first half of 

 the month. The first fall migrants arrive late in September 

 and become common early in October, the bulk passing during 

 the first three weeks. After the first week in November only 

 the wintering birds are left. The Pox Sparrow may be said 

 to be an irregular winter resident, since it is very numerous in 

 all parts of the county during some winters and during others 

 only a few scattered birds are to be found in the thickest cover 

 of the deep sheltered bottom lands. 



During the migration periods they are found everywhere in 

 the open country but the largest flocks follow the bluffs and 

 bottoms along the Missouri River. 



