1356 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 pabt 3 



to that of fledged young. The weather was cold with sleet and snow." 

 Nor has anything ever been published on the nest life and develop- 

 ment of the young birds. Harry S. Swarth (1924) describes reaching 

 the species' breeding grounds above timber line in the northern British 

 Columbia mountains on July 22 to find "the young were out of the 

 nest and flying about; the old birds could be seen singing from perches 

 above the thickets in which they dwelt." He found the young so 

 exceptionally wary he had great difficulty collecting three juvenile 

 specimens : 



At the first sign of danger a loud chip from the parent sends every youngster 

 within hearing scuttling for the nearest tangle of prostrate balsam, but not to 

 remain there. A prompt retreat is made to the far side of the bush, followed 

 quickly by flight to another thicket perhaps a hundred yards away. Pursuit is 

 heralded by warning alarm notes from the parent, and the youngster again flees 

 to another refuge. Further pursuit is generally useless. In fact, young birds 

 were seen to go five hundred yards or more in one flight when followed up. Mean- 

 while, the old bird, perhaps joined by others, remains nearby, giving warning 

 from some conspicuous perch, utterly indifferent to approach within a few 

 yards. * * * 



The extreme wariness of the young golden-crowned sparrow is a trait that 

 receives emphasis from the fact that, when the first winter plumage is attained 

 a few weeks later, these same young birds are peculiarly tame and unsuspicious. 

 Then they will permit of close approach, will in fact come themselves to inspect 

 the stranger in the woods. 



Plumages and Molts. — The natal down of the golden-crowned 

 sparrow has never been described. Richard R. Graber (1955) de- 

 scribes the juvenal plumage as follows: 



"No obvious sexual dimorphism. Feathers above nostrils light 

 brown. Forehead and crown brown laterally, light buff medially. 

 Light median area expands posteriorly. Entire crown streaked with 

 black, least heavily on occiput. (A suggestion of light crown spot 

 of adult.) Occiput and nape tinged with rusty brown, laterally. 

 Back streaked with black and shades of buffy brown. Rump and 

 upper tail coverts light brown obscurely marked with dark. Rectrices 

 dull brown. Remiges dark gray (upper tertials black); primaries 

 edged with buffy white, tertials with rust tipped with buffy white. 

 Lesser coverts light brown, middle coverts blackish tipped with white. 

 Greater coverts edged with rust, tipped with white. Two rather 

 narrow wing-bars. Lores gray. Eye-ring buff above, whitish below. 

 Auriculars mottled with gray, buff, and brown. Post-auriculars 

 whitish, streaked with brown or black. Chin and throat whitish, 

 flecked with black. Sides of chin and throat heavily marked with 

 black. Underparts cream colored, not white as in other Zonotrichia. 

 Chest, sides, and flanks heavily streaked with black. Belly and 

 crissum sparsely spotted with black. Leg feathers brown and cream." 



