336 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



or buffy, faintly streaked with gray. Young : upper parts grayish brown, 

 streaked with black ; under parts pale fulvous white, strongest on sides of 

 neck and flanks. Male: length (skins) 5.20-5.50, wing- 2.80-2.42, tail 

 1.92-2.27, bill .50-.53. Female : length (skins) 4.95-5.40, wing 2.15-2.30, 

 tail 2.00-2.15, bill .49-. 52. 



Distribution. — Coast of Texas. 



Eggs. — 3 or 4, pale greenish white, finely spotted over entire surface 

 and wreathed around larger end with reddish brown and jjlum color. 



GENUS CHONDESTES. 



General Characters. — Bill conical ; wing long and pointed ; tail long, 

 rounded ; tarsus about twice as long as exposed cuhnen. 



* 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



1. Averaging darker and grayer grammacus, p. 336. 



1'. Averaging paler and browner strigatus, p. 336. 



552. Chondestes grammacus [Say). Lark Sparrow. 



iSimilar to the western lark sparrow, but averaging darker and grayer, 

 with black streaks on back broader and chestnut on head rather darker ; 

 wings and tail shorter. Male : length . (skins) 5.50-6.40, wing 3.23-3.69, 

 tail 2.54-3.08, bill .41-.48. Female: length (skins) 5.80-6.15, wing 3.20- 

 3.38, tail 2..54-2.70, bill .44-.4T. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Upper Sonoran zone in southern Ontario and 

 through the Mississippi Valley region to Texas and Alabama ; and from 

 Ohio west to western Nebraska ; casually to Atlantic coast and (during 

 migration) Florida. 



Nest and eggs like those of strigatus. 



552a. C. g strigatus (Swaitis.). Western Lark Sparrow. 



Adults. — Sides of head with chestnut jjatch and black and white streaks ; 

 crown chestnut, with white or buffy median stripe ; rest of upper parts 

 brownish gray, the back streaked with blackish ; tail blackish brown with 

 white corners, all but middle feathers tipped with white ; under parts white, 

 with a small black central spot on breast. Young : without chestnut patch 

 or black and white streaks on head ; entire upper parts buffy or brownish, 

 streaked ; chest with wedge-shaped blackish streaks. Male : length (skins) 

 5.60-6.60, wing 3.20-3.62, tail 2.52-3.00, bill .41-.54. Female: length 

 (skins) 5.50-6.75, wing 3.12-3.51, tail 2.40-2.81, bill .42-.51. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Transition and Upper Sonoran zones, from 

 British Columbia and Manitoba south to the plateau of Mexico, and from 

 the plains to California ; migrates to Guatemala. 



Nest. — On ground or in bushes or trees, sometimes in mistletoe or 

 mesquite, made of dried grasses, plant stems, and fibers. Eggs : 3 to 6, 

 white, sometimes with a faint bluish or brownish tinge, speckled and lined 

 chiefly on larger end Avith black and brown. 



Food. — Grasshoppers, locusts, and weevils, with seeds of weeds and 

 grass, and waste grain. 



Th.:^ lark sparrow is one of the commonest, most familiar western 

 birds, seeming equally at home when walking over the smooth lawn 

 of a Pasadena millionaire, singing from the top of the sagebrush, or 

 perching on a Spanish bayonet on a rocky Texas mesa. 



