ROCK RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW 921 



In western Texas the nesting season is probably the same as for 

 scottii. Males taken here by Van Tyne Mar. 22, 1937 and Apr. 1, 1935 

 had small testes (data received by courtesy of H. B. Tordoff); while 

 three specimens from the Chisos Mountains in July 1928 were in 

 breeding condition — the females were carrying nesting material on 

 July 9 and 18, and juvenal-plumagcd specimens were also taken in 

 July (Van Tyne and Sutton, 1937). In Presidio County H. W. 

 Phillips and W. A. Thornton (1949) found nests "near the middle of 

 June, [1948] some of which contained two eggs." In the Davis 

 Mountains males sang vigorously to mid-September, 1916, and four 

 young with "eyes not yet opened" were found on September 26; by 

 then other young "retained only traces of the spotting on the breast" 

 (A. P. Smith, 1917). 



Nesting. — In the Austin region, Texas, George F. Simmons (1925) 

 records some nests above ground, though always within 2 feet of 

 ground level. These were "wedged in among thickly-sprouting, 

 upward-growing branches of low bush or scrubby cedar tree." More 

 usually nests were "under 12-inch ledge running horizontally along 

 side of terraced slope near hill top." Contrary to Scott's description 

 of nests of A. r. scottii, the Austin region nest is usually a "very pretty, 

 compact, neat, deeply-cupped structure of fine cedar twigs, fine grass 

 stems, a few narrow cedar bark strips, with considerable Indian 

 tobacco or mushn weed in base; neatly and compactly lined with fine 

 soft cedar bark fiber and other plant fibers, shredded and packed into 

 a smooth-surface lining, into which a few fine grass seed stems have 

 been woven; * * * sometimes containing horsehairs." 



"Outside, diameter 3.30 by 3, height 2.65. Inside of cup, rim 

 diameter 1.76 by 1.38, inside diameter 2.08 by 2.12, depth 1.80 

 [inches]." 



From the Kerrville, Texas, area, L. R. Wolfe writes me that his 

 experience is similar except that nests average higher, "most commonly 

 in thick shin-oak bushes (Quercus pungens Vaseyana) about 12 to 18 

 inches from the ground. Another location is on or close to the ground 

 in a spreading prickly pear cactus (Opuntia Engelmanni) . * * * 

 I have never seen a nest under a rock or any other overhang. Their 

 nest is compact and well built of grasses and lined with soft grass. 

 The nest differs from that of the Cassin sparrow in that the latter is 

 often loosely built with many grass stems sticking out and appears 

 straggly." This distinction evidently does not hold true in other 

 regions, however. Nests in the shin-oaks varied from ground level 

 (concealed by the branches) up to 60 centimeters above ground. 

 A nest in the Chisos Mountains was "under soto[l], bulky, made of 

 grass and fined with fine plant fibers" (F. M. Bailey, 1902) . One near 

 San Antonio was "on the ground in a tuft of grass near a running 



