462 HISTORY OF THE 



Habitat. Interior of North America; east from the base of 

 the Kocky Mountains and Arizona to eastern Texas, Missouri 

 and Iowa; casual in Wisconsin; (Mr. Nelson records it as a rare 

 summer resident in Illinois, and I am inclined to think that the 

 bird occasionally breeds in Nebraska, but chiefly from Dakota 

 and Iowa northward;) south in winter from the Saskatchewan 

 Plains and Red River regions into Mexico and Lower California. 



Sp. Char. "Smaller than 8. socialis. Back and sides of hindueck ashy. 

 Prevailing color above pale brownish yellow, with a tinge of grayish. The feath- 

 ers of back and crown streaked conspicuously with blackish. Crown with a 

 median pale ashy and a lateral or superciliary ashy white stripe. Beneath 

 whitish, tinged with brown on the breast and sides, and an indistinct narrow 

 brown streak on the edge of chin, cutting off a light stripe above it. Ear cov- 

 erts brownish yellow, margined above and below by dark brown, making three 

 dark stripes on the face. 



"The ashy collar is quite conspicuous and streaked above with brown. The 

 rump is immaculate. The streaks on the feathers of the crown almost form 

 continuous lines, about six in number. The brown line above the ear coverts 

 is a postocular one. That on the sides of the chin forms the lower border of a 

 white maxillary stripe which widens and curves around behind the ear coverts, 

 fading into ashy of the neck. The wing coverts are all margined with paler, 

 and there is an indication of two light bands across the ends of the coverts. 



"The young of this species is thickly streaked beneath, over the throat, breast 

 aud belly, with brown, giving it an entirely different appearance from the adult. 

 The streaks in the upper parts, too, are darker and more conspicuous. The 

 margins of the feathers are rather more rusty." 



Iris brown; bill — terminal portion of ridge and tips dusky, 

 rest pale reddish brown; legs and feet yellowish flesh color; 

 claws light brown. 



This pale Sparrow of the plains is very similar in actions to 

 the Chipping Sparrow, but less familiar and confiding in its 

 habits. 



The following interesting description of their nesting habits, 

 etc., is taken from "Birds of the Northwest," by Dr. Coues: 



"The Clay-colored Sparrows nest abundantly in Dakota, and 

 especially along the Red river, in the open, low underbrush by 

 the river side, and among the innumerable scrub-willow copses 

 of the valley. They pair here the latter part of May, when the 



