FRINGILLIDZ, FINCHES, ETC.—GEN. 69. 139 
and usually showing sharp black shaft lines. No yellowish anywhere; no 
tail feathers white; further distinguished from its allies by the emphasis of 
its black, bay and ash; 54-6; wing and tail 24-24. Eastern North America ; 
a common inhabitant of low thickets, swamps and marshes. WHIts., iii, 49, 
plz, f. 15 Aup., iii, 110, pl. 175; Nurr., 1, 502; Bo., 483. PaLusTRis: 
*** Breast white, with numerous streaks aggregated into a central blotch; tail 
obviously longer than the wings, both rounded. Thickly streaked everywhere 
above, on sides and across breast. No yellowish anywhere. 
Song Sparrow. Below, white, slightly shaded with brownish on the 
flanks and crissum, the numerous streaks just mentioned being dusky with 
brown edges, forming a pectoral blotch and also usually coalescing into 
maxillary stripes bounding the white throat; crown dull bay, with fine black 
streaks, divided and bounded on either side by ashy-whitish lines; vague 
brown or dusky and whitish markings on the sides of the head; the inter- 
scapular streaks black, with bay and ashy-white edgings; rump and cervix 
grayish-brown, with merely a few bay marks; wings with dull bay edgings, 
the coverts and inner quills marked like the interscapulars ; tail plain brown, 
with darker shaft lines, on the middle feathers at least, and often with obso- 
lete wavy markings. Very constant in plumage, the chief differences being 
in the sharpness and breadth of the markings, due in part to the wear of the 
feathers. 6-64; wing about 24; tail nearly or quite 3. Eastern United 
States; one of our most abundant birds everywhere, and a well known 
pleasing songster. WH1S., ii, 125, pl. 16, f.4; Nurr., i, 486; Auvp., iii, 
EPR Dl ESD Adan y me hey rel oe a ee: oe Ul ee ey) 8, MELODTAy 
Oss. The Eastern song sparrow is simply one variety of a bird distributed from 
Atlantic to Pacific, and which in the West is split into numerous geographical races, 
some of them looking so different from typical melodia that they have been con- 
sidered as distinct species, and even placed in other genera. This differentiation 
affects not only the color, but the size, relative proportion of parts, and particularly 
the shape of the bill; and it is sometimes so great, as in case of M. insignis, that 
less dissimilar looking birds are commonly assigned to different genera. Neverthe- 
less, the gradation is complete, and effected by imperceptible degrees. The follow- 
ing varieties have been described, and may usually be recognized. 
Var. FALLAx Bp., 481; Coopr., 215. Extremely similar; wings and tail slightly 
longer; paler, grayer; the streaks not so obviously blackish in the centre. Whole 
of Rocky Mountains and Great Basin; scarcely distinguishable. 
Var. currata Norr., i, 2d ed. 581; Fringilla cinerea, Aup., iii, 145, pl. 187. 
Darker and more rufous, the colors more blended, from indistinctness of the 
streaks; below, quite brownish, except on middle of belly. Pacific coast, U. S., 
and British Columbia. 
Var. rurINA Bp., 480; Coor., 214. Similar, but larger; color more fuliginous. 
Sitka, Alaska. ; 
Var. nrERMANNU Bp., 478; Coop., 212. Grayish, the streaks numerous, broad, 
distinct, mostly lacking pale edging. California. 
Var. coutpm Bp., 479. Similar to the last, in distinctness of the black streaks, 
but very small, under 5; wing little over 2; tail 24. California. Ammodromus 
samuelis Bo., 455, pl. 71, f. 1; Coor., 191, is the same bird. 
