May, 1914 BIRDS OF NORTHERN MONTANA 137 Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. Abundant summer resident in the moun- tains, nesting in lodgepole pine and Douglas fir forests, in the Canadian zone. Also found to a lesser extent in the T. ransition zone, nesting in cottonwoods along the foothills of the mountains. Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis. Snow Bunting. Winter visitor on the prairies. Occurs in large flocks with the Pallid Horned Lark and Alaska Longspur. Calcarius lapponicus alascensis. Alaska L ?gspur. Migrant and winter visitor, occuring on the prairies ?dth the above species and the Pallid Horned Lark. Migration date: October 31, 1912. Calcarius ornatus. Chestnut-collared Longspur. Summer resident on the prairies. Rather local in distribution, as I have ob- served it only in the neigh- borhood of Priest Butte, where it was first noted May 8, 1912. In this same local- ity I found a young bird just out of the nest, and a nest containing eggs, on June 23, 1912. Rhynchophanes mccow- ni. McCown Longspur. Abundant summer resident on the prairies. In some places on the flat-topped prairie benches, this is the only bird to be found. Mi- gration dates: October 16, 1911, and April 17, 1912. I believe that there are either two broods, or else the birds nest irregularly from the time of their arrival until late July. The evidence col- lected is as follows: The ear- liest nest I have record of Fig. 45. ?'EST AND EGGS OF THICK-BILLED REDWI-?G. was found May 22 , 1912, when it contained two half-grown young, that left the nest on May 27. A second nest contained three fresh eggs on May 26, 1912. In 1911 I found a nest containing eggs on June 25. These eggs had not hatched on July 4, when I found another nest with eggs. On July 3, 1911, and again on July 17, I observed young birds out of the nest and barely able to fly. (See fig. 47.) Pooecetes graminc'Us confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow. Abundant summer resident in the prairie region, and in mountain meadows up to 6000 feet. Nesting begins early in June, and the first young are on the wing early in July. Migration dates: September 18, 1911, and April 29, 1912. Passercuhs sandwichensis alaudinus. Western Savannah Sparrow. Abundant summer resident of the prairie region, nesting in rather wet mea- dows. Migration date: April 30, 1912.
