28 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



feathers ; generally the colors more blended. G-eneral appearance above light rufous- 

 brown, the interscapular region streaked very obsoletely witli dark brownish-rufous, the 

 feathers of the crown similar, with still darker obsolete central streaks. A superciUary 

 and very indistinct median crown-stripe ashy. Under parts dull white, the breast and 

 sides of throat and body broadly streaked with dark brownish-rufous ; darker in the 

 centre. A light maxillary stripe. Sides of the body and anal region tinged strongly with 

 the colors of the rump. Under coverts brown. Length, 6.75; wing, 2.70; tail, 3.00. 

 Legs rather darker than in melodia. Bill from nostril, .37 ; from forehead, .60. 

 Hab. Pacific coast of the United States to British Columbia. 



A young bird from Napa Valley, Cal. (12,912, Colonel A. J. Grayson)^ 

 probably referrible to this race, differs from the corresponding stage of 

 heervianni, fallax, and melodia in the following respects : the ground-color 

 above is much darker, being dull dingy-brown, and the dusky streaks 

 broader ; the white beneath has a strong yellowish tinge, and the pectoral 

 streaks are very broad. 



Habits. Dr. Cooper characterizes this species as the most northern and 

 mountain -frequenting representative of the Song Sparrows, being a resident 

 of the higher Sierra Nevada and on the borders of the evergreen forests 

 towards the Columbia, and thence northward, where it is the only species of 

 this genus, and where it is common down to the level of the sea. Specimens 

 have been obtained at Marysville in the spring, by Mr. Gruber. 



Dr. Cooper says that he has also met with this bird, and found it pos- 

 sessing habits and songs entirely similar to those of the eastern M. melodia, 

 and resembling also those of the more southern M. heermanni. He was 

 never able to meet with one of their nests, as, like other forest birds, they are 

 more artful in concealing their treasures than birds that have become accus- 

 tomed to the society and protection of man, and who, no longer wild, select 

 gardens as the safest places in which to build. In the mild winters usual 

 about the mouth of the Columbia, these birds do not evince any disposition 

 to emigrate, but come familiarly around the houses for their food, when the 

 snow has buried their usual supply. 



Dr. Suckley remarks that this Finch is quite a common bird in the vicinity 

 of Puget Sound, and that it is there resident throughout the year. He has 

 found them in very different situations ; some in thickets at the edges of 

 prairies, others in stranded drift-logs on open salt marshes, as well as in 

 swamps, and in the dense forests of the Douglass firs, peculiar to the north- 

 west coast. Its voice, he adds, is, during the breeding-season, singularly 

 sweet and melodious, surpassing that of the Meadow Lark in melody and 

 tone, but unequal to it in force. 



This species is stated to be a constant resident in the district wherein it is 

 found, never ranging far from the thicket which contains its nest, or the 

 house in the neighborhood of which it finds food and protection. Almost 

 every winter morning, as well as during the summer, as Dr. Cooper states, its 

 cheerful song may be heard from the garden or the fence, as if to repay those 

 whose presence has protected it from its rapacious enemies. When unmo- 



