54 NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



scarcely raised from the gronnd. They are composed of dried grasses Hned 

 with finer ones and a few hairs , but were very frail. 



Hab. Texas to California, north to Kansas, south to Mexico. 



231. Song Sparrow — melospiza fasciata. Varying from a greenish 

 or pinkish-white to light bluish-green, more or less thickly spotted with 

 dark reddish-brown ; the ground color and the spots have a diversity of 

 shades; four to six. in number; size from .75 to .85 in length by .55 to .60 

 in breadth. The familiar Song Sparrow has an extended distribution 

 throughout eastern North America, and is resident during the entire year 

 in a large portion of the area in which it breeds. It nests from South 

 Carolina north to the British Province of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick 

 at the east, and to a not well-defined limit in British America. The nest 

 is generally placed on the ground, but often on a low bush. It is com- 

 posed of grasses, weeds and leaves and lined with fine grass stems and 

 roots, in some cases hair. The Song Sparrow is very prolific. J. N. 

 Clark, in "Random Notes, "f for October, 1884, records taking five nests 

 belonging to one pair of birds in his yard between May 15 and August 

 10, the whole containing 22 eggs. 



Hab. Eastern United Statc-i, with geographical varieties to the Pacific; north to Canada and Nova Scotia. 



2Sla. Mountain Song Sparrow — melospiza fasciata fallax. Bluish- 

 white, blotched with reddish-brown; usually four; size .74 by .55. This 

 species occurs throughout New Mexico, Arizona and part of Southern 

 California, and is particularly abundant in the valley of the Colorado. The 

 nidification is the same as that of the Eastern Song Sparrow. The nest is 

 generally placed in bushes about a foot or two from the ground. 



Hab. Southern Rocky Mountain region and Great Basin. 



231i>. Heerman's Song Sparrow — melospiza fasciata heermanni. 

 Pale bluish-ash, covered with blotches of reddish-brown ; usually four 

 eggs; size from .85 to .88 in length by .65 to .70 in breadth. This Cali- 

 fornia Song Sparrow was named in honor of Dr. Heermann, who first ob- 

 tained it in the Tejon Valley. It has been found in California as far north 

 as San Francisco and to the south and southeast to San Diego and the 

 Mohave River. The nest is placed in bushes from three to six feet from 



the ground. Hab. California. 



2Slc. Californian Song Sparrow — melospiza fasciata samuelis. 

 Darker and considerably larger than those of J/, fascitata, measuring 

 from .78 to .87 in length to .62 by .66 in breadth. Nesting habits simi- 



fA Monthly Magazine devoted to the distribution of useful knowledge among the various departments 

 of Zoology, Minerology and Botany. South wick & Jencks, Providence, R. I. 



