Western Grasshopper-Sparrow 359 
Distribution.—The plains of western North America, breeding in 
Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, south to eastern Montana and 
Minnesota ; south in winter to Texas and north-west Mexico. 
A rare bird in Colorado, only occurring on migration, chiefly in the 
autumm, and only along the eastern bases of the mountains. There is 
a good series of examples in the Aiken collection, taken between 22nd 
August and the 13th of October, all near Colorado Springs. The only 
other definite record is Del Norte on the Rio Grande, August 22nd 
(Aiken apud Henshaw); while so far as I am aware there is only one 
spring record—E]l Paso co., May 6th, 1873, the second specimen taken 
by Aiken (Ridgway, 73). 
Habits.—Baird’s Sparrow resembles the Savannah 
in its habits as well as in its appearance. Coues states 
that it took him several days before he could distinguish 
them in the field. The males often, especially in the 
breeding season, sit on low bushes and grass stems and 
sing, but the females keep concealed in the grass. The 
flight is very erratic, short and zigzag, and rather 
quicker than that of the Savannah. The nest was 
first found by Allen, July Ist, 1873, on Big Muddy 
Creek in Dakota ; it was a slight structure, placed on the 
ground, and contained five eggs, closely resembling 
those of the Vesper-Sparrow. 
Genus AMMODRAMUS. 
Small Sparrow-like birds resembling Passerculus, but with an even, 
more rounded wing, which is shorter than the tail and tarsus combined ; 
tail relatively short, under -7 length of the wing ; emarginatoe or slightly 
double-rounded. 
Following Ridgway this genus contains only one species, running 
into several subspecific forms, distributed over North America, 
including Mexico and the Antilles (see key, p. 355), 
Western Grasshopper-Sparrow. 
Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 546a—Colorado Records—Ridgway 73, p. 182 
(C. passerinus perpallidus) ; Drew 85, p. 16; Morrison 89, p. 37; Cooke 
97, pp. 18, 101, 166; Henderson 09, p. 236; Hersey & Rockwell 09, 
p. 120. 
