492 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



throughout the country thence to the Rocky mountains. McCown's 

 longsp*r was very abundant in the country about Frenchman river 

 where both species were breeding but further west C. ornatus, 

 diminished in numbers while McCown's longspur increased and 

 extended to the foothills of the Rocky mountains. {Coues.) Very 

 common on the prairies in 1906, particularly on the barren hills 

 north of Maple creek, Sask. {A. C. Bent.) First seen at Indian 

 Head, Sask., May 23rd, 1892 ; by the first June they were abundant 

 on burnt prairie and land that had been broken and let run to weeds ; 

 numbers remained to breed; two individuals were seen at Medicine 

 Hat, Sask., April 21st, 1894, after which time they became common 

 both there and at Crane lake 100 miles further east. By May 2nd 

 the}' were in thousands at Medicine Hat and numbers of males were 

 in full song ; common at Crane lake in June ; amongst other nests 

 one was found containing five eggs, one of which belonged to a cow- 

 bird. The nest was a rather deep hole in the prairie, Uned with a 

 little dried grass; in 1895 they were common at Moose Jaw, at Old 

 Wives creek. Wood mountain. Frenchman river up to the Cypress 

 hHls, Sask., but not in the hills, and westerly from there to Milk 

 river, where they decreased in numbers and only a few extended to 

 the foothills near Waterton lake; observed a number at Calgary, 

 Alta., June 19th, 1897; one seen on the shore of an island in Lesser 

 Slave lake, Alta., May 31st, 1903. This species and C. ornatus were 

 always found together and are true prairie species. (Spreadborough.) 

 I secured an adult male on June 3rd, 1887, and on the same day 

 three years later, shot two females at the same place ; these are al^ I 

 have seen at Chilliwack, B.C. (Brooks.) 



Breeding Notes. — During June, 1891 and 1893, I found this 

 species abundant on the hilly prairie north of Rush lake, Sask. 

 Here it builds its nest on the ground at the side of a sod and lays 

 four or five eggs. The female is a close sitter, not leaving the nest 

 until the intruder has stepped close up to it. The eggs are like 

 those of Smith's longspur in colour and marldngs, but average 

 smaller in size. (W. Raine.) This is a very common species in 

 many parts of the prairie region. Many nests were seen in 1894 

 and 1895 and all were in a hole in the ground with slight elevation ^ 

 on one side. Nest of dried grass and indistinguishable from that 

 of the chestnut-collared bunting. (Macoun.) 



