468 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 parti 



Egg dates. — British Columbia: 20 records, May 24 to August 18; 

 10 records, June 20 to July 8. 



SPINUS TRISTIS JEWETTI van Rossem 



Northwestern Goldfinch 



Habits 



A. J. van Rossem (1943) bestowed the above name on the goldfinch 



of the northwest coast region in honor of Stanley G. Jewett. The 



type is a female in fresh fall plumage and was collected at Ashland, 



Oreg., in October. He gives it the following subspecific characters: 



"A small race of Sjpinus tristis, similar in this respect to salicamans 



Grinnell of southern California (wings of 17 males average 69.4 mm., 



of 9 females 67.2). Both sexes in winter plumage everywhere darker 



and browner than in salicamans; back Saccardo Umber instead of 



Tawny-Olive; flanks Tawny-Olive to Sayal Brown instead of grayish 



Tawny Olive; imder tail coverts and edging of inner secondaries 



more strongly suffused with brown. The characters are most evident 



in newly acquired fall plumage but are observable up to the time of 



the prenuptial molt. 

 * * * 



"Salicamans from southern California differs markedly from other 

 races of Spinus tristis in the partial, sometimes nearly complete, 

 suppression of the prenuptial body molt of both males and females. 

 It occurs gradually and in an irregular, patchy manner over a period 

 of several months from about mid-January to late in May and the 

 vast majority of individuals apparently never attain the full summer 

 plumage. Egg laying begins in early April, in the midst of the molt- 

 ing process, and it has been suggested to me that the breeding activity 

 at this time might be in part responsible for the partial suppression. 

 * * * One summer (June) male of jewetti has retained the winter 

 plumage on the entire abdominal area; the other nine summer males 

 and all four summer females show a complete prenuptial molt." 



Its range seems to be confined to the coastal slope from southern 

 British Columbia to southwestern Oregon. Gabrielson and Jewett 

 (1940) say that it is "a common breeding goldfinch of western Oregon 

 and is equally common during the remainder of the year. It is 

 particularly abundant in the open valleys such as the Rogue, Umpqua, 

 and Willamette valleys. In habits and behavior, it is identical with 

 the goldfinches throughout the United States. Like its eastern 

 Oregon relative, it nests late. Records of numerous fresh or slightly 

 incubated eggs vary from June 15 to July 6." 



