126 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



ccverts and lesser wing-coverts deeper brown ; wings and 

 tail browner than in male; second tail-feather less than 

 half white ; otherwise as in male, but the cinnamon on 

 sides below rather duller. "Habitat, Western United 

 SUt<!S, northward to Alaska, east to the Plains, south 

 in winter to New Me.xico, Arizona, and South Cali-^ 

 fomia. Accidentally in Michigan and Massachusetts." 

 (A.O.U. Check-list). 



J. G. Cooper {" Ornilh. Calif.," Vol. I., pp. 200-201) 

 says : — " This species is abundant in winter throughout 

 most parts of the State, and resides in summer in the 

 mountains, probably down to the 32nd parallel, though 

 I have not determined its residence a.'ong the coast 

 further south than Monterey. That locality is very cool, 

 and an extensive forest of pines coming down to the 

 coast favours the residence of several Northern birds 

 during summer. At San Diego I observed them until 

 April 1st, when they probably retired to the high 

 mountains visible a few miles back from the coast. A 

 few also visit the Colorado Valley in winter. 



" On the Coast Mountains south of Santa Clara 1 

 found many of them breeding in May, 1864 ; one ne.st 1 

 saw near the west base of the mountains, on the 13th, 

 containing young just ready to fly. It was built in a 

 cavity among the roots of a" large tree on a steep bank, 

 formed of leaves, grasses, and fine root-fibres, and 

 covered outside with an abundant coating of green moss, 

 raided above the general surface of the ground. The 

 old birds showed such anxiety that I was induced to 

 hunt for the nest nearly an hour before I found it, being 

 satisfied from their actions that it was there, though 

 very hard to find. The moment I saw it the young flew 

 out in all directions, and their parents seemed more 

 alarmed than ever. 



" On May 20th I discovered another nest on the very 

 summit of "the mountains, probably a second laying, as 

 it contained but three eggs. It was slightly sunk in the 

 ground under a fern {Pltris), and formed like the other, 

 but with less moss round the edge ; some cow's and 

 horse's hair was also used in the lining. The eggs were 

 bluish-white, with blackish and brown spots of various 

 sizes thickly sprinkled on the larger end, measuring 

 0.74 by 0.60. According to Heeimann, they build in 

 bushes. 



" The only song of this species is a faint trill, much 

 like that of the Chipping Sparrow {Spizella socialis), 

 delivered from the top of some low tree in March and 

 April. At other times they have merely the sharp chirp 

 or call-note by which they are easily distinguished from 

 most other Sparrows. Though migrating so far south in 

 winter, they also remain during winter at least as far 

 north as the Columbia River, frequenting the vicinity of 

 houses and bams, in great numbers, especially when the 

 snow is on the ground, and then meriting the name of 

 their Ea.stern cousin, which usually appears in the 

 United States only in the season of snow. 



"They probably raise two broods in this State, and at 

 Puget's Sound I "have seen young fledged as early as 

 May 24th. 



"According to Dr. Coues, this species is an exceed- 

 ingly abundant winter resident in Arizona, arriving at 

 Fort Whipple early in October, and becoming very 

 numerous in a short time. They remain until the 

 middle of April, and stragglers are even seen until May, 

 keeping quietly hidden in out-of-the-way places, like 

 the Eastern Snow-bird, until cold weather sets in, when 

 they become very familiar, and are to be seen every- 

 where." 



It seems certain that this species must have been 

 ooca-sionally imported as well as the Eastern form, for 

 at the end of March, 1902, I had a male sent to me in 



the flesh for identification. I am afraid that I assumed 

 it to be Juncu hiemalis ; but fortunately, as it was in 

 good condition, 1 had it made into a skin, and I now see 

 that it is palpably the Oregon Snow-bird. 



Chhting Sparrow {Spizella socialU). 



Above, back and mantle reddish brown streaked with. 

 b!ack and with pale edges to the feathers; lower back 

 and rump ash-grey ; lesser wing-covtrts brownish ash ; 

 median and greater coverts blackish; paler acd more 

 rufescent outwardly, whitish at tips; remaining wing- 

 feathers deep brown with paler edges, rufescent on the 

 secondaries ; upper tail-coverts dull brown with ashy 

 edges; tail-feathers deep brown with ashy edges; 

 crown of head cinnamon reddish, streaked indistinctly 

 with black on nape, which is slightly greyer; forehead 

 black div'ded by a whitish line ; lores, eyebrow-stripe, 

 and featlieis round eye white; ear-coverts pale ashy 

 edged above by a brown line ; cheeks and sides of neck 

 whitish, threat and chest pale ashy ; breast ani 

 abdomen whiter, under tail-covert-s white as well as 

 under %ving-coverts and axillaries, the base of feathers 

 dusky; sides, flanks, and thighs pale grey-brown; 

 flights below dusky whitish along inner edges ; beak 

 black : feet pale brownish, toes darker ; irides brown. 

 Female with rather less cinnamon reddish on the crown, 

 which is also somewhat more streaked with black ;. 

 apparently (judging by measurements in Museimi Cata- 

 logue) the wing and tail are longer than in the male. 

 Habitat, North America, northward to the Great Slave 

 Lake, southward to Mexico. 



J. G. Cooper {"Oriiith. Calif.," Vol. I., p. 208) 

 observes: — "They spend the summer, and build in all 

 the northern half of the State, preferring the vicinity ot 

 oak-groves and gardens, coming familiarly about the 

 doorstep to pick up crumbs, and building their nest in 

 low branches of fruit-trees or garden shrubs. It is 

 neatly fonned of grass, rather thinly interwoven, and 

 lined almost always with horse-hairs. The eggs are four 

 or five, bright greenish-blue, with a few light and dark 

 brown spots, chiefly at the larger end. They raise two 

 or even three broods annually, in the Atlantic States. 



" The only song of this bird is a low trill, usually 

 heard from the top of a tree during the still warm 

 morning. 



" In autumn they collect into large flocks, and frequent 

 open woods, pasture*, etc. I found flecks of them on- 

 Catalina Island in June, but could discover no nests, 

 and. as they were all old birds, concluded that they for 

 some reason had forgotten to migrate. 



Rnss says that this again is one of those Sparrows 

 which is imported now 'and then, although it is truly 

 neither generally nor greatly beloved. He furthermore 

 tells us that it has been sold Kingly by Mr, C Reiche, 

 Miss Clir. Hagenbeck, E. Geupel. and others, but one 

 could haidly secTire a pair for the birdroom, and he 

 excuses himself for describing it in detail on the nlea 

 that it will answer for a general portrait of others subse- 

 quently briefly referred to. The one weakness in this 

 most prai.scworthy a\ncnltnrist was that when dealing 

 with soberly-coloured birds he was apt to consider them 

 beneath the notice of bird-lovers, overlooking the fact 

 that a knowledge of the life-history and habits of a 

 dingv bird is scientificallv of as much 'importance as 

 that of the most gorgeously-coloured one. 



The Chipping Sparrow has been exhibited at the 

 London Zoological Gardens. I should feed it and all 

 the sparrow-like Buntines in the same manner as the 

 species of Fmheriza or Frxngilla. 



The Pismy or Field .Sparrow. Spizella pti^illn (from 

 the Ea6f<i»Ti United States, Southern Canada, ranging^ 



