WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 245 



coin Sparrow. About the edges of a mountain meadow 

 as well as in the wet lowlands, he flits in and out of the 

 willows, giviii": the observer as little opportunity to see 

 him as he can, and never so absorbed in his insect- 

 hunting as to forget the presence of a stranger. His 

 song is rarely heard, yet he has a happy little lay not 

 unlike that of a song sparrow but inferior in quality. 



His nest is deftly concealed on the ground, and he 

 approaches it by a circuitous route, dodging through the 

 grass and never by any chance revealing its whereabouts. 

 Only by catching a glimpse of him with food in his bill 

 one may be able to guess at its location, and that there 

 are young to be fed. 



585a. TOWXSEND SPARROW. — /Wvm//^/ i/imn 

 tonmsendi. 



Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 7.00-7.50. 



Adults: Upper parts bright chestnut, mixed with giay ; wings, upper 



tail-coverts, and tail rusty brownish ; under parts white, with dark 



brown markings on chest. 

 Young : Similar to adults. 

 Geographical Distribution : I'acitic coast region from Alaska south in 



winter to California. 

 Breeding Range : From British Columbia north through Alaska. 

 Breeding Season: May and June. 

 Nest: Of grasses, mo.ss, and vegetable fibres, closely woven together; 



placed near the ground, in dense thickets. 

 Eggs: 3 to 5 ; pale bluish green, spotted and blotched with reddish 



brown and lilac. Size 0.90 X 0.66. 



The Townsend Sparrow is one of the largest and red- 

 dest of all our fox sjninows, and in liis musical eft'orts is 



