1014 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 37 part 2 



Along the southwestern border of its range I have found this sub- 

 species entering the edge of the heavier brushlands of Adenostoma 

 and scrub oak, as on San Benito Moimtain, CaUfornia. Yet in the 

 main this habitat is occupied immediately to the westward by the 

 very distinctive race Amphispiza belli belli. Here near this junction 

 the form canescens occurs regularly in the rather open Artemisia 

 calif ornica, in Atriplex and Haplopappus bushes, and in Eriodictyon. 



In August following the nesting season, molting birds and those in 

 new autumnal plumage gather in loose flocks about water sources, 

 from which they drink frequently. On August 23, two miles south 

 and five miles east of Shandon, San Luis Obispo County, these 

 sparrows were coming to drink, flying in from the Artemisia califomica 

 one to three at a time. They sometimes perched close together 

 favoring the tall open shrubs or the junipers and a single elderberry. 

 Others alighted on open groimd beyond the water and ran about 

 before fluttering in among the short sedges. On September 11, 

 among Atriplex bushes near McKittrick in Kern County, they were 

 again coming to water in the 100°-weather. Many were heard 

 singing, at times giving as many as 10 full-voiced songs in sequence. 

 These birds were in fresh new plumage and were far past the nesting 

 season. 



On Mount Pinos to the south Grinnell (1905c) noted bands of full 

 grown young that had moved upslope from the nesting areas in late 

 June. They were among gooseberry bushes on the very summit at 

 8,826 feet, about 2,000 feet above the growths of Artemisia tridentata 

 where they nest on this moimtain. 



Nesting. — Dates for nesting of this race recorded in the literature 

 and those attested to by the collections of the Museum of Vertebrate 

 Zoology range from March 29 to June 6, with most of them in April 

 and May. Nests are placed low in bushes from 1 to 2 feet up; there 

 are no records of ground nests such as occiu* on the race nevadensis. 

 Three nests I have examined show the same wool lining found in 

 those of nevadensis, but fewer bark shreds and more grass and flow- 

 ering stalks of annual plants. One has some feathers in the lining. 



Eggs. — Sets of eggs consist of 3 in fom- instances, and of 4 eggs in 

 eight instances; there is one set of 5 eggs recorded by George WiUett 

 (1911). The eggs are indistinguishable in color from those of the 

 northern sage sparrow, but they are, on the average, significantly 

 shorter. Thus the length of 55 eggs averages 18.98 millimeters as 

 against 19.47 millimeters for 70 eggs of nevadensis. The width in 

 canescens averages 14.46 millimeters which is essentiaUy the same as 

 in nevadensis. 



Winter. — This subspecies of sage sparrow is partly resident in nearly 

 all sections of its breeding range, or at most it moves locally or retreats 



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