586 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



malis does in the Eastern States. Dr. Cooper states it to be a very common 

 bird in Washington Tei'ritory, especially in the winter, when it comes about 

 the lioiises and farms with precisely the same liabits as the common Atlantic 

 species. In the summer it is seen about Puget Sound, in which neighborhood 

 it breeds. He met with young fledglings as early as May 24. At that season 

 they were not gregarious, and were found principally about the edges of woods. 



Mr. Ridgway also regards the western Snowbird as, in all appreciable 

 respects, an exact counterpart of the eastern hyemalis. In summer he found 

 it inliabiting the pine woods of the mountains, but in winter descending to 

 the lowlands, and entering the towns and gardens in the same manner with 

 the eastern species. 



Dr. Cooper states this species to be numerous in winter in nearly every 

 part of California. In the summer it resides among the mountains down to 

 the 32d parallel. On the coast he has not determined its residence farther 

 south than Monterey. The coolness of tliat locality, and its extensive for- 

 ests of pines extending to the coast, favor the residence of sucli birds during 

 the summer. At San Diego he observed them until the first of April, when 

 they retired to the neighboring mountains. A few also were found in the 

 Colorado Valley in the winter. On the Coast Mountains south of Santa 

 Clara he found them breeding in large numbers in May, 1864 One nest 

 contained young, just ready to fly, as early as May 13. This was built in a 

 cavity among the roots of a large tree on a steep bank. It was made of 

 leaves, grasses, and fine root-fibres. On the outside it was covered with an 

 abundant coating of green moss, raised above the surface of the ground. The 

 old birds betrayed the presence of the nest by their extreme anxiety. On 

 the 20th he found another nest on the very summit of the mountains, sup- 

 posed to be a second laying, as it contained but three eggs. It was slightly 

 sunk in the ground under a fern, and formed like the other, but with less 

 moss around its edge. It was lined with cows' and horses' hair. The eggs 

 were bluish-white, with blackish-brown spots of various sizes thickly sprin- 

 kled around the larger end, and measuring .74 by .60 of an inch. 



The only song Dr. Cooper noticed,. of this species, was a faint trill much 

 like that of the S'pizella socialis, delivered from the top of some low tree in 

 March and April. At other times they have only a sharp call-note, by which 

 they are distinguishable from other Sparrows. While some migrate far to 

 the south in winter, others remain as far north as the Columbia River, fre- 

 quenting, in large numbers, the vicinity of barns and houses, especially when 

 the snow is on the ground. They raise two broods in a season. 



Dr. Coues found this species a very common winter resident in Arizona, 

 arriving at Fort Whipple about October 10, soon becoming very abundant, 

 and continuing so until the second week in April. Stragglers were seen until 

 May 10. 



Dr. Woodhouse also observed numbers of the western Snowbird on the 

 San Francisco Mountains, in the month of October, where they were very 



