•^(4 BIRDS or ILLINOIS. 



brc'iiht anil »itlrs, mid iin ImliKtlni't narrow brown Htri'ak on iln- I'llutof tlir ■■hin.i'iittiiie 

 olT ft lluht Htrlpo nliovc It. Ear-covi-rls lipiwnlsli yi-llow. inarKlu>->l aliovi- and bulow by 

 dark brown, maklnR tliroo dark Btrlpi'n on tho faoe. Bill rvddlBli. dusky towardK Up. 

 LvB8 yellow. Lonstli, 4.75; wine. 2.55. ' 



"The ashy collar is quite conspicuous, and streaked above witli 

 brown. The nimp is immaculate. The streaks on the feathers of 

 the crowii almost form continuous lines, about six in number. The 

 brown line above the ear-coverts is a postocular one. That on 

 the side of the chin fonns the lower border of a white maxillary 

 stripe which widens and curves around behind the ear-coverts, 

 fading into the ashy of the neck. The wing feathers are all mar- 

 gined with paler, and there is an indication of two li<,'lit Imiids 

 across the ends of the coverts. 



"The young of this species is thickly streaked beneath, over the 

 throat, bi-east, and belly, with brown, giving to it an entirely differ- 

 ent appearance from the adult. The streaks in the upper parts, 

 too, are darker and more conspicuous. The margins of the feathers 

 are rather more rusty. 



"This species is readily distinguishable from the other American 

 Spizellax, except .S. hreireri (which see), in the dark streaks and 

 mechan ashy stripe on the crown, the paler tints, the dark line on 

 the side of the chin, etc." (Hixt. X. Am. B.) 



The Clay-colored Sparrow is one of that group of species to which 

 we have previously alluded (see page 246) as characterizing a Cam- 

 pestriau Province. Its range is closely coincident with that of 

 Sprague's Pipit {Aiithiis xpratiueii), Baird's and Leconte's Sparrows, 

 Harris's Finch, MeCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, and 

 Lark Bunting,— being the Great Plains, in their whole extent, from 

 the Valley of the Saskatchewan southwards, and to the eastward 

 extending sparingly into the prairie districts along the eastern side 

 of the Mississippi river. In Illinois, the present species is known 

 with certainty to occur only in the more northern portions of the 

 State, although it no doubt inhal)its the prairie districts well south- 

 ward, especially in the more western counties. Mr. Nelson records 

 it as "a rare summer resident about the borders of prairies," in 

 Cook county, and adds that "siiccinu us iin m Mi. Ilolden's col- 

 lection taken near Chicago." 



In its liabits this species is said to closely resemble the Chipping 

 Sparrow, especially in its confiding familiarity, and its s<«ig is said 

 to be very similar to that of S. soc'kiHi. The nest and eggs of the 

 two species oi'e haixily distingiiishable. 



