304 NESTS AND EGGS OF 



ing more or less abundantly in all suitable places, from Eastern Texas 

 and Louisiana on the south to Iowa and Southern Michigan on the 

 north. Its favorite summer resorts are prairie lands, clover and 

 stubble-fields, neglected and sparsely wooded pastures and fields 

 bordered with low trees. Breeds in May, June and July according to 

 locality ; sometimes two and three broods are reared. It is one of the 

 sweetest songsters among our Sparrows. Its song is uttered in a hur- 

 ried manner, "in one continuous gush of silvery notes, and accom- 

 panied by a metallic tremolo?'' Several birds may be seen running in 

 the grass with lowered heads like quails, from which manner, in some 

 places they receive the name of " Quail-heads," and again they are 

 given the name of '.' Road-birds " from their habit of running along 

 road-sides and feeding in roads. Mr. Singley states that in Texas the 

 Lark Finch often repairs old nests of the Mockingbird and Orchard 

 Oriole with a lining of grass, horse hairs etc., and Mr. Davis informs 

 me that he has found its eggs in the nest of the Scissor-tailed Fly- 

 catcher. The nest, however, is usually placed on the ground, some- 

 times in trees or bushes. When on the ground it is generally sunken 

 in a hollow, concealed by tufts of grass or clover and it is hard to find, 

 for the bird, like the Bobolink, has the habit of running some distance 

 from the nest before taking wing. The composition varies according 

 to the vegetable growth of the locality in which it is built; usually 

 grasses, clover and weed stems make up the structure. 



The eggs are three to five in number, commonly four ; they are 

 pure white or they have a faint bluish or brownish tinge, speckled 

 and marked with zig-zag, straight and wavy lines, of very dark brown 

 and black, chiefly at the larger end, like the eggs of the Baltimore 

 Oriole, and in exceptional cases it is impossible to differentiate the 

 eggs of the two species. The size of those of the Lark Sparrow vary 

 ■from .76 to .89 in length by .59 to .68 in breadth. 



552 a. Chondestes grammacus strigatus (Swains.) [204 a.] 



AVestern Iiark Sparroir. 



Hab. Western United States from the Great Plains and Central Texas south into Mexico. 



This sub-species is common in Western United States, from the 

 Plains and Western Texas (where it breeds abundantly) to the Pacific. 

 In California it nests on the ground, in live oaks, sycamores orange 

 and lemon trees. Eggs . Sox. 60. 



553. ZonotricMa querula (Nutt.) [205.] 



Harris's Sparroir. 



Hab. More eastern Great Plains and more western prairies, breeding from Eastern Montana (?) north 

 to Manitoba; south; in winter, to Texas, and east to Iowa, Western Illinois, Missouri, etc. (Ridgway.) 



Eggs of this species are described by Prof. Ridgway as follows : 



