Page:Condor8(1).djvu/23

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Jan., ?9o61 A COLLECTING TRIP TO SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO 23 54. Spizella breweri. Brewer Sparrow. Seen at Monon and at Springfield. First seen April 29 . Much less common than either of the preceding. 55. Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. Only seen at Lamar, April 6; one taken and another seen. 56. Amphispiza bilineata deserticola. Desert Sparrow. Seen only at Gaume's ranch, May ?8 to 25. Three taken and others seen. Undoubtedly breeding. 57. Peuca?a cassini. Cassin Sparrow. A specimen of this species, the first to be recorded for Colorado, was taken May 27, near Springfield. The bird was on a wire fence near Cat Creek, south of the town. Its breast was quite bare of feathers, so that it may have been incubating. 58. Melospiza cinerea subsp.? Song Sparrow. Seen only at Lamar, April 5; as no specimens were taken it is impossible to say to what subspecies they belonged. 59. Pipilo maculatus arcticus. Arctic Towhee. A female, taken at Monon May 3, is thus identified by Mr. Ridgway. 60. Pipilo maculatus megalonyx. Spurred Towhee. A male taken at Monon April 28 is thns identified by Mr. Ridgway. Though towhees were not nncom- mon at that time, these two specimens were unfortunately the only ones collected. 6t. 0reospiza chlorura. Green-tailed Towhee. First seen at Monon May 3, when there were many in the cottonwoods along Bear Creek. It was seen once at Springfield, May ? r. 62. Calamospiza melanocorys. Lark Bunting. A very common summer resi- dent on the prairies. First made its appearance at Monon April 30, the first birds being males. The first females were seen May 5- They began their courtship and love songs the middle of May, and from then on it was a common sight to see the males up in the air singing. The song then seenled sweeter to me than wheu given from a perch. On June 2 they still seemed to be mating and I saw two males pursuing one female. Locally called"buffalo birds"and sometJmes"l)obolinks." 63. Progne subis. Purple Martin. Mr. Arthur Joh.nston told me that two or three years ago a pair came about their place at Monon but did not stay. 64. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. Seen at every place I went to. At Monon there were several colonies of old nests in the bluffs along Bear Creek. The birds were about these but had not yet begun to build new nests. 65. Hitundo erythrogaster. Barn Swallow. Seen May 26 at several places along the road between Gaume's ranch and Springfield, hawking for insects in company with cliff swallows. Also seen at Springfield a few days later. 66. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides. White-rumped Shrike. Seen at Lamar, Springfield and Morion. A common summer resident. A number of per- sons with whom I talked considered it a very useful bird as it catches many grasshoppers. Perhaps this is noticed more in this species than in others from its habit of decorating the barbed wire fences with its prey. 67. Vireo gilvus swainsoni. Western Warbling Vireo. One taken May 3 at Monon, and another at Springfield, May 3 , both in the trees along Bear Creek. These were the only vireos of any species seen. 68. Helminthophila virginia?. Virginia Warbler. A single specimen, a male, taken May 3 at Morion, which extends its known range very much to the east. 69. Helminthophila celata. Orange-crowned Warbler. A female taken on Bear Creek, near Springfield, May ?5. 7 o. Dendroica a?stiva morcomi. Yellow Warbler. Seen everywhere I went, in suitable localities; most common along Bear Creek, near Springfield, among the