CALIFORNIA RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW 935 



foothills May 25, 1915 and concluded that nesting evidently began 

 there in April. C. G. Sibley (MS.) cites records near Milpitas for 

 newly hatched young ranging from March 22 to August 1, indicating 

 that the earhest nesting attempts begin at least by early March. 

 The great span of dates involved led William Brewster (1879) and 

 WiUiam L. Dawson (1923) to beheve two broods might sometimes 

 be raised, but no evidence shows the later ones are not renestings 

 after failures. 



Eggs. — The eggs are usually four in number in California, but vary 

 from two to five for the species as a w^hole. They are ovate, slightly 

 glossy, very pale bluish-white, and unmarked. For measurements see 

 the section on A. r. scottii. Chester Barlow (1902) notes that some 

 sets are pure white. 



Incubation. — It seems mcredible that the length of the incubation 

 period has never been determined for this species, but I can find no 

 mention of it in the hterature. The early oologists attributed the 

 small number of nests found of this common species to the closeness 

 mth which the incubating female sits. W. Brewster (1879) wrote 

 that the sitting bird steals away silently under cover of the surrounding 

 vegetation and is Hkely to be mistaken for a startled mouse. Whether 

 this performance is the stereotyped "rodent run" distraction display 

 described for other ground nesting birds by E. Duffey and N. Creasey 

 (1950), A. H. Miller (1951c), and others is not certain. 



Young. — Published data on the nestlings and their length of stay in 

 the nest also appear to be lacking for this race. Nor, apparently, has 

 anyone recorded the length of parental care of the young after leaving 

 the nest. Most young out of the nest are found from May to August, 

 though extreme dates (Sibley, MS.) are much earlier. Hubert O. 

 Jenkins (1906) reports seeing many "immatures" between June 16 

 and July 18 in the coast ranges of Monterey County. I have noted 

 juveniles, apparently independent of parents, in the hills east of 

 Oakland from July 1 to September 1. 



Roger Simpson (1925) caught and photographed four fledglings 

 apparently just out of a nest in the Berkeley Hills May 4, 1924. Both 

 adults appeared and scolded his intrusion; the one which was "of a 

 quieter disposition and was much less concerned" he assumed was the 

 male. When he placed the fledglings on a stump, the presumed 

 female was there with food for them within a few seconds. 



Plumages. — The only reference given by David K. Wetherbee (1957) 

 on the downy plumage of this species is from a statement by Harriet 

 W. Myers (1909) tliat "the orange-skinned nestlings were partially 

 covered with tufts of black down." The young begin in the nest to 

 acquire the ju venal plumage which they wear for several months. 



