384 Birds of Colorado 



Habits. — The Sage-Sparrow shares the desolate sage- 

 brush plains with the Desert-Sparrow, and is common 

 enough in suitable localities ; it is very shy and runs 

 quickly, with its tail erected vertically, like that of a 

 Wren ; its only note is a chirp, according to Henshaw, 

 but Vernon Bailey states that during the breeding season 

 " the sage-brush fairly rings with their simple but ex- 

 quisitely sweet song." There is no definite information 

 of their breeding habits in Colorado, but elsewhere the 

 nest is placed low down in a bush and constructed chiefly 

 of sage-brush, bark and dry grass ; the eggs, three or 

 four, are greenish-white, speckled chiefly at the larger 

 end with reddish and darker brown. 



Genus PEUCiEA. 



Small Sparrow-like forms — wing under 3-0 — with moderate conical 

 bills ; wing short and rounded, hardly extending beyond the base 

 of the tail ; the ninth (outer) primary usually between the fourth and 

 third ; tail long, about the same length as the wing, sometimes slightly 

 longer and very distinctly graduated, the outer tail-feathers falling 

 short of the longest by -25 to -50 inch. Plumage streaked or scaly 

 above, plain below ; edge of the wing yellow. 



This genus, following Coues, includes three species ranging over the 

 southern United States and Mexico. One species only has been found 

 in Colorado. 



Cassin's Sparrow. Penccea cassini. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 578 — Colorado Records — Warren 05, p. 417 ; 

 06, p. 23 ; Hersey & Rockwell 07, p. 191. 



Description. — Male — Above dark chestnut-brown, the feathers edged 

 with grey, those of the back and rump with subterminal marks of black ; 

 wings dusky brown, most of the feathers with paler edges ; shoulder 

 and edge of the wing yellow ; middle tail-feathers greyish with a median 

 darker stripe with serrated edges ; below white, washed with pale 

 brown across the breast and on the flanks, the latter streaked with 

 dusky. Length 5-10 ; wing 2-55 ; tail 2-50 ; culmen -40 ; tarsus -70. 



These measurements are taken from a moulting bird in which the 

 old tail-feathers had not been shed ; the tail should average slightly 

 longer than the wings. The sexes are alike. 



Distribution. — Breeding in the arid districts of western North America 

 from western Kansas and southern Nevada to northern Mexico. 



