88 Zoology of Colorado 



stripes on the side, and a black spot on the chest. The Mountain 

 Song Sparrow {Melospizafallax of Baird) remains with us through- 

 out the year; it is a grayish-brown bird with a white breast, the 

 crown rich umber with a central stripe of ashy gray. The re- 

 lated Lincoln's Sparrow (M. lincolni of Audubon) has the upper 

 parts dark brown and olive streaked with black; crown with light 

 central stripe; and there is a broad buffy band, streaked with 

 black, across the chest. It is a common summer bird, breeding 

 high in the mountains. The Towhees (Pipilo) are peculiar to 

 North and Central America, with a general distribution similar 

 to that of Junco, but not going so far south. The Mountain 

 Towhee (P. maculatus montanus) is about eight inches long, with 

 short wings and long tail ; above, and on the neck, it is black, but 

 the wings and tail are strongly marked with white. It is a common 

 bird in summer, arriving late in March or early in April. Mr. 

 Warren finds it about Colorado Springs in winter*. The Canon 

 Towhee (P. fuscus mesoleucus) , found in rocky places, has the 

 crown light rufous, the throat and chest without black, the tail- 

 feathers without white. It is a bird of the Sonoran Zones, but 

 has been seen as high as 10,000 feet. The Green-tailed Towhee 

 (Oberholseria chlorura of Audubon) is of particular interest as 

 representing a genus peculiar to Western North America. Seen 

 from above, it appears as an olive green bird with a chestnut red 

 crown, the edge of the wing yellow. It is very abundant in the 

 mountains, especially at the bottom of the canons. Ridgway 

 gave it the very appropiate name Oreospiza, but as that had un- 

 fortunately been used before, Oberholseria was substituted by 

 Richmond. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Hedymeles ludovi- 

 cianus), with the under wing-coverts and chest rosy-red, is only 

 accidental in Colorado; but the Black-headed Grosbeak (H. 

 melanocephalus) is common in summer.** This last is a cinnamon- 

 brown bird, with mainly black head, the wings black, strongly 

 marked with white, the under wing-coverts and center of belly 

 yellow. The Western Blue Grosbeak (Guiraca caerulea interfusa***) 



*Mr. Warren writes that the Arctic Towhee (P. maculatus arcticus) has also been found 

 at Colorado Springs in winter. The bird identified by Oberholser. 



**Our bird has been separated as a subspecies H. melaniocephalus papago. 



***Dwight and Griscom (Amer. Mus. Novitiates, 1927} restrict the name Guiraca caerulea 

 lazula to the bird of Costa Rica and Nicaragua and propose the new name interfusa for the 

 race occurring in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, etc. 



