640 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
Fort Wingate, 7,000 feet (Hollister); Chloride, 7,500 feet (Blinn); and Silver City, 
6,000 feet (Marsh). Eggs were found May 26, 1913, near Engle (Ligon). [It nests 
freely in June in the Jornado del Muerto (1916-1918); it was common in Grant 
[Hidalgo] County, when one young was seen with adults, May 7, 1920, near Gray 
Ranch; was common from Carlsbad to Cimarron, May 27-June 22, 1924, but especi¬ 
ally north of Roswell, Salt Draw, and on portions of the Staked Plains (Ligon); it 
was fairly common at Lake Burford, where a nest with four eggs and two newly 
hatched young was found on June 11, 1918 (Wetmore). On the Rio Grande Gun 
Club grounds southwest of Albuquerque, June 16, 1919, it was abundant with young 
(Ligon).] Specimens were taken near Cuervo, June 14 and 21, 1903 (Bailey); at 
Espanola, June 11 and 14, 1904 (Surber). 
After the nesting season, near Koehler Junction, it was common from July 
28 to October 24, 1913 (Kalmbach). [Many were seen between Socorro and Albu¬ 
querque, August 28, 1917 (Ligon).] With the advent of fall migration they become 
more common and probably reach the height of their abundance during October and 
early in November, but they ascend little if any higher in migration than the upper 
limit of the breeding range. Specimens were taken at Arroyo Hondo, August 13, 
1904 (Bailey); Roswell, September 17, and Horse Lake, September 22, 1902 (Gaut); 
Fair View, October 12, and Garfield, November 21, 1909 (Goldman); Silver City, 
October 22, 1912 (Kellogg); and Cactus Flat, November 6, 1906 (Bailey). [Two 
were noted near Zuni, October 4, 1916 (Skinner).] In Union County they were 
abundant November 5, 1915 (Ligon). 
In winter, they are found in a few localities. [In Colfax County, Charles Springer 
is sure that they have been seen at all seasons, individuals remaining throughout 
some winters (1925).] They remain in the Rio Grande Valley at least as far north as 
Espanola (Loring). On Christmas, 1902, six were seen at Albuquerque (Harman). 
At the south end of the San Mateo Mountains they were very abundant September 
7-10, 1915 (Ligon), and were the commonest birds observed in the Jarilla Hills dur¬ 
ing January, 1903 (Gaut). On the Carlsbad Bird Reserve they were common in the 
lower country in January, 1915, and were noted during the winter of 1915-16; 
[they were found abundant in December, 1916; and on the Rio Grande Bird Reserve 
(Elephant Butte), were noted November 23-December 9,1916 (Willett).] 
In spring, individuals that are to breed at the higher altitudes move out of the 
valleys in March, and have been recorded as arriving at Las Vegas March 19, 1902 
(Atkins), and at Halls Peak on March 20, 1895 (Barber), at both of which places 
they became common the last of March.—W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. —On the ground, made of dried grass, usually domed or loosely covered 
over. Eggs: Generally 4 to 6, white, or very rarely light green, speckled over the 
entire surface with browns and purple, usually heaviest around the larger end. 
Food. —Vegetable 30 per cent and animal 70 per cent. Of the animal, almost 27 
per cent is beetles, half of which consists of predatory ground beetles, the rest 
harmful or neutral, including the alfalfa and a number of other weevils; 12 per cent 
grasshoppers and crickets, for the year, and 42 per cent in August. (In Colfax 
County, July 28-October 24, 1913, grasshoppers were 75 per cent) (Kalmbach). 
About 15 per cent are lepidoptera, largely caterpillars, especially cutworms; nearly 6 
per cent wasps and ants. One stomach contained 40 plant lice, parts of 8 ground 
beetles, 1 snout beetle, and parts of 12 crickets. Of the vegetable food, weed seed is 
2 per cent, and grain 27.5 per cent, oats being the favorite kind, eaten mainly from 
August to March, the greatest quantity waste grain in September and January, the 
least in March, the month of seeding. Refuse wheat was eaten from October to 
January. From April to July, which cover the ripening and harvesting of the crop, 
no grain except a little corn was eaten. “Its services are sufficiently real and im- 
