340 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



front, ash gray behind ; rest of upper part olive brown, streaked on back 



with blackish brown : rump and tail plain ; 

 wing' with two white bands ; under parts 

 gray ; sides and flanks washed with brown. 

 Young : similar, but black crown stripes 

 Fig. 428. Golden-crowned Sparrow, replaced by brown streaked with black, 

 and median stripe dull brownish yellow flecked or streaked with dusky, 

 the ash g-rav wanting- ; upper parts washed with brownish ; under parts 

 soiled whitish. Male : leng-th (skins) 5.93-7.13, wing- 2.99-3.28, tail 2.89- 

 3.28, biU .44-.52. Female : length (skins) 6.15-6.G5, wing 2.90-3.17, tail 

 2.71-3.25, bill .45-.50. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Alaska ; migrates south along the Pacific coast 

 to Lower California, straggling east to Nevada, Colorado, and Wisconsin. 

 Nest. — In alder patches. Eggs : usually 5, colored like the more dis- 

 tinctly spotted style of the white-crowned sparrow. 



In winter the golden-crowns are among the common birds of the 

 San Francisco parks and cemeteries and are so tame they will hop 

 over the grass and down the paths close to the bench on v/hich you 

 are sitting. The sparrow flock usually includes more white-crowns 

 than goldens, but all are equally and delightfully familiar. In some 

 of the parks the birds seem especially fond of sunning themselves 

 on the budding lauresiium bushes. 



Though the golden- crowns live mainly on seeds, you often see 

 one jump up from the ground for an insect or run after one and 

 swallow it as unconcernedly as if he were not supposed to be a 

 vegetarian. 



In Los Angeles County, Mr. Grinnell says, they winter commonly 

 from the mesas up to 5000 feet on the bushy mountain sides. 



568. Zonotrichia albicoUis [Gmel). White-throated Sparrow. 



Adult male. — Throat pure white sharply contrasted with gray of breast ; 

 head striped with black and white ; superciliary yellow from Ijill to eyes ; 

 edge of wing yellow ; back and scapulars rusty brown streaked 

 with blackish ; rump olivaceous or brownish. Adult female ; 

 sometimes indistinguishable from male, but usually with col- 

 oration of head and under parts decidedly duller, crown stripe 

 tinged with brown and huffy. Young in first ivinter : like 

 Fig. 429. adult female, but duller, crown stripes browner. Young: 

 throat not distinctly whitish, and stripes on head brown and huffy instead 

 of black and white ; yellow in front of eyes more or less distinct ; under 

 parts brownish white, streaked, except on belly. Male : length (skins) 

 6.12-6.56, wing 2.85-3.04, tail 2.80-3.00, bill .42-.48. Female: length 

 (skins) 5.91-6.30, wing 2.74-2.88. tail 2.6S-2.90, bill .44-46. 



Remarks. — The young of albicoUis can be distinguished from that of 

 leucophrys by their deeper brown lateral crown stripes and more rusty 

 back and wings. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Canadian and Hudsonian zones from Hudson 

 Bay and Labrador south to the northern United States, chiefly east, but 

 also in Montana and Wyoming ; winters to Florida and southern Texas, 

 straggling west to Oregon and California. 



Nest. — On the ground or in bushes, made largely of coarse grasses. 



