940 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part 2 



Distribution 



Range. — The California rufous-crowned sparrow is resident in the 

 coast ranges and on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in central 

 California (Clearlake Park, Sutter Buttes, McChesney Mountain, 

 Onyx). 



Egg dates. — California: 24 records, March 22 to July 10; 13 records, 

 April 17 to May 13. 



AIMOPHILA RUFICEPS OBSCURA Dickey and van Rossem 



Santa Cruz Rufous-crowned Sparrow 



Contributed by Howard L. Cogswell 



Habits 



In 1863 James G. Cooper collected two rufous-crowned sparrows on 

 Santa Catalina Island oflf the southern California coast; the specimens 

 were eventually deposited in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at 

 Berkeley where, according to D. R. Dickey and A. J. van Rossem 

 (1923) "they are too faded and worn to be of use for color comparison." 

 This comment on these, the only specimens of the species ever taken 

 on Catalina Island, was with respect to the status there of the new 

 subspecies A. r. obscura which these same authors described as "Darker 

 and less rufescent than either Aimophila ruficeps ruficeps or A. r. 

 canescens of the neighboring mainland; central streaking of the dorsal 

 feathers much darker and less rusty; maxiUary streaks heavier; bUl 

 heavier and more swoUen at base; tarsi and feet averaging slightly 

 longer and heavier." Hinting that it was doubtful the species still 

 occurred on Catalina Island, they state it was "Common in suitable 

 localities on Santa Cruz Island." J. Grinnell and A. H. Miller (1944) 

 list its range as "Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Cata- 

 lina islands; but not reported from the latter since 1863!" The same 

 authors give the habitat of this race as "Grassy hill slopes and canyon 

 walls where there are scattered bushes or clumps of cactus." 



James G. Cooper (1870) writes: "I have only met with this species 

 on Catalina Island in June, a few keeping about the low bushes, 

 feeding on the ground, and very difficult to get a sight of. I heard 

 them sing a few musical notes that reminded me of those of the 

 Cyanospiza [lazuli and related buntings]. They flew short distances 

 only, and in habits seemed more like the Melospiza. Their favorite 

 resort, like that of the Eastern species, may, perhaps, be pine woods." 

 Although his last surmise was quite wrong, in this earliest reference 

 to the habits of what is most probably the race obscura, J. G. Cooper 

 thus briefly mentions the secretive behavior and the similarity of 

 song to that of the lazuli bunting which the accounts of ruficeps and 

 canescens here emphasize. 



