366 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



brown or sooty black, indistinctly streaked with black ; rufous of sides 

 deep. Young : Darker and more uniform than young- megalonyx ; throat 

 and chest sootv, not streaked. Male ; length (skins) 7.0S-8.18, wing- 3.22- 

 3.47, tail 3.42-3.87, bill ..54-.59. Female : length (skins) 6.95-8.00, wing- 

 3.03-3.38, tail 3.31-3.85, bill .52-.58. 



Bemarks. — In the Oregon towhee the g-eneral size and hind claw are 

 much smaller than in the spurred, while the absence of white markings 

 makes a good field character. 



Distribution. — Breeds in humid Transition zone from British Columbia 

 to San Francisco ; winters south to southern California. 



588c. P. m. clementse (Grinn.). San Clemente Towhee. 



Adult male. — Like megalonyx, but bill and feet relatively larger and 

 coloration grayer ; upper parts sooty, w ashed with olive gray ; rump 

 lighter, upper tail coverts finely barred with dusky. Adult female : head 

 and neck dull dark brown ; wings and tail darker ; rump gray, feathers 

 with dark centers and light edgings. Male: length (skins) 7.44-8.10, 

 wing 3.14-3.50, tail 3.48-4.06, bill .55-.60. Female: length (skins) 7.02- 

 8.30, wing 3.06-3.24, tail 3.45-3.76, bill .54-.5S. 



Distribution. — San Clemente Island, southern California. 



588d. P. m. atratus Bidgw. San Diego Towhee. 



Adult male. — Deep glossy black ; wings and scapulars heavily marked 

 with white ; outer tail feathers with white thumb marks. Adult female : 

 upper parts clove brown ; throat and chest clove brown or sooty black. 



Bemarks. — The San Diego towhee is like the spurred, but decidedly 

 darker, and with white markings more restricted. 



Distribution. — From coast district of southern California south to Lower 

 California. 



591. Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus {Baird). Canyon Towhee. 



Adults. — Top of head light rufous ; rest of upper parts and sides plain 

 dull grayish brown ; throat buffy, finely spotted, obsolete chest patch 

 formed by large spots; middle of belly whitish, hinder part of belly, 

 flanks, and lower tail coverts yellowish brown. Young : upper parts dull 

 grayish brown, indistinctly streaked with darker; wing coverts largely 

 edged and tipped with pale rufous ; lower parts dull white, changing to 

 brownish on under tail coverts, largely streaked with dusky. Male : length 

 (skins) 7.64-8.77, wing 3.49-3.94, tail 3.77-4.23, bill .ri6-.66. Female: 

 length (skins) 7.75-8.72. wing 3.39-3.92, tail 3.71-4.31, bill .57-.64. 



Distribution. — Upper and Lower Sonoran zone from Western Texas to 

 Arizona, and from eastern Colorado south to JSonora and Chihuahua. 



Nest. — In mesquite trees rarely over 8 feet from the ground, sometimes 

 In thick bunches of cholla cactus and between the leaves of yuccas, deep, 

 bulky, and loosely made of coarse grasses lined with rootlets and horsehair. 

 Eggs : usually 3, bluish white or pearl gray, spotted and scrawled with 

 brown and sometimes black, and with purple shell markings. 



The fuscus group of towhees, while chaparral birds of the same 

 general habits as the macidatus group, seem more like big fluffy 

 brown sparrows than chewinks. 



The canyon towhee, when sitting on a bush, shows his rufous 

 under tail coverts and raises his crown so that the color shows there. 

 He has a loud metallic chip, a call of four loud repetitions of the 



