252 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 61, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



taken by C. L. Hall at Unalaska, June 4, 1894. It is almost as 

 gray as the specimens from Unimak Island, though the tail is 

 slightly more rufescent. Speaking of this specimen, Grinnell 

 (1910) says- 

 No Fox Sparrow has been previously secured from Unalaska 'unless the 

 Aoonalashka Bunting of Latham really came from there' (Ridgway, Birds 

 of North and Middle America, Vol. I, 1901, p. 389). So that the present 

 specimen assumes a decided importance. This bird bears out all the char- 

 acters of the race called unalaschce?isis, as defined by Ridgway, and doubt- 

 less indicates the western limit of the range of that form. 



In view of these uncertainties, Calm (1947) makes an impor- 

 tant contribution when he reports, for Unalaska Island ''One 

 was seen on June 5, 1944, at the foot of Mt. Ballyhoo." 



The 1931 Check List gives Unalaska as part of the nesting 

 range of the Shumagin fox sparrow, and the two records men- 

 tioned above may have been nesting birds. Yet, Harrold (Swarth 

 1934) says- 

 No fox sparrows were found on Akutan Island. The only cover consists of 

 salmon-berry canes and a few stunted willows here and there, of an average 

 height of about 18 inches. Unalaska, although having slightly larger bushes, 

 was just as unfavorable, and none of this species was seen there either. 



Apparently, the fox sparrow has occurred only sporadically on 

 Unalaska, and actual nesting has not been established. It is 

 interesting to note that a specimen was obtained by Hanna on 

 St. Paul, Pribilofs, May 20, 1919 (which is in the breeding sea- 

 son) and an immature male was taken by Harrold on Nunivak 

 Island on September 9. 



So far as is known, Unimak Island marks the western limit of 

 the breeding range of the Shumagin fox sparrow, as well as the 

 western limit of a habitat that is typical and fully occupied. If 

 the unique record from Unalaska was a breeding bird, it prob- 

 ably was an accidental occurrence. The regular breeding range 

 extends eastward at least as far as the Shumagins and the Alaska 

 Peninsula opposite these islands. Still farther eastward, on por- 

 tions of the peninsula from which we do not now have specimens, 

 this subspecies must merge so thoroughly with insularis that it 

 would be impractical to separate them. 



There are two specimens in the National Museum (Nos. 105767 

 and 184003) that are hard to identify. They are from Nushagak, 

 taken on October 22, 1884, and on September 19, 1902, and may 

 have been migrants. These specimens appear to be unalaschcensis. 

 (Since these studies were made, Gabrielson has obtained many 

 specimens from Alaska Peninsula, which have not been compared 

 with the series here discussed.) 



