Western Field-Sparrow 373 



Habits. — Brewer's Sparrow hardly differs from the 

 Chipping or Clay-coloured Sparrow in habits, except 

 that it is a more western species and affects the sage bush 

 {Artemesia) and greasewood {Sarcdbatus) country rather 

 than the grassy plains. It has a short, weak, tinkhng 

 song, and is frequently met with in flocks with Chipping 

 Sparrows. It undoubtedly breeds in Colorado, but I 

 have not met with any notice or description of its doing 

 so. Mrs. Bailey states that the nest is placed in a sage 

 bush and is made of fine grass stems and leaves, lined 

 with horsehair ; the eggs, usually four, closely resemble 

 those of the Clay-coloured Sparrow, but are rather more 

 distinctly marked. 



Western Field-Sparrow. Spizella yusilla arenacea. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 563a— Colorado Record— Cooke 09, p. 314. 



Description. — Sexes alike ; crown (generally with a median stripe of 

 grey), ear-coverts and postocular region dull chestnut ; no decided black 

 or white about the head ; back brownish-ash with black streaks and 

 pale edgings ; below white unmarked, but washed with pale greyish- 

 brown on the sides and breast ; tips of the middle and greater coverts 

 whitish, forming two cross-bands more or less distinct ; iris brown, bill 

 cinnamon-rufous, legs pale brown. Length 5-75; wing 2-75; tail 

 2-70 ; culmen -35 ; tarsus -75. Young birds have the chest and sides 

 streaked with dusky, and the crown duller and slightly streaked as well. 



Distribution. — The western portion of the Great Plains, breeding from 

 Nebraska to eastern Montana ; south in winter to southern Texas. 



This bird has only recently been detected in Colorado. Miss Jennie 

 Patten observed one at Yuma on May 9th to 11th, 1908. It is probably 

 not uncommon in the eastern portion of the State. 



Genus JUNCO. 

 Medium-sized, semi-terrestrial Finches with wings from three to foiu^ 

 inches, and rather small, conical and generally pale coloured bills ; 

 nostrils nearly concealed by bristles ; wing moderately long and pointed, 

 the ninth (outer) primary shorter than the fifth, usually longer than the 

 fourth, the eighth and seventh the longest ; tail long, at least (except 

 in J. hyemalis) -90 of the wing, double-rounded, the outer and central 

 feathers slightly shorter than the intermediate ones. Plimaage (in all 

 Colorado forms) plain greys and browns, without streaks in the 

 adults, and with the outer tail-feathers always white. 



