THE WESTERN 
126 
tipped with white, forming two conspicuous bands; flight feathers and rectrices 
grayish dusky margined with whitish and buffy. Bill blackish above, yellow, 
tipped with dusky, below; legs brown, feet darker; iris brown. Jn winter the 
cinnamon-rufous of crown is slightly veiled, especially along median area, by 
ashy skirtings of feathers, and the buffy of upperparts inclines to strengthen. 
Length about 6.00 (152.4); wing 3.00 (76); tail 2.68 (68); bill .39 (10); 
tarsus .82 (20.8). 
Recognition Marks.—Sparrow size; resembles Western Chipping Sparrow 
but much larger; white wing-bars with chestnut-of crown distinctive. 
Nesting.—Does not breed in Washington. “Nest, in low bushes or on the 
ground, loosely constructed of bark strips, weeds and grasses, warmly lined with 
feathers. Eggs, 4-6, or even 7, pale green, minutely and regularly sprinkled with 
reddish brown spots” (Coues). Av. size, .75 x .60 (19.1 x 15.2). 
General Range.—Breeding from the valley of Anderson River, near the 
Arctic coast westward thru Alaska to coast of Bering Sea, and for an unde- 
termined distance southward; in winter south thru western North America to 
Arizona, Texas, etc., eastward across Rocky Mts. to Great Plains (Ridgway). 
Range in Washington.—Not common winter resident and migrant. Has 
not recently been reported west of the Cascades. 
Authorities——Brewster, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VII. 1882, pp. 227, 228. 
(Ciyn(C&s esa D2: 
Specimens.—(U. of W.). P*. Prov. 
“THE sight of the first Tree Sparrow in the fall serves perfectly to 
call up a vision of impending winter. Here are the hurrying blasts, the 
leaden skies, the piling snow-drifts, all ready to make the beholder shiver. 
But here, too, in some unburied weed patch, or thicket of rose-briars, is a 
company of Tree Sparrows, stout-hearted and cold-defying, setting up a 
merry tinkling chorus, as eloquent of good cheer as a crackling Yule-log. 
How many times has the bird-man hastened out after some cruel cold snap, 
thinking, ‘Surely this will settle for my birds,’ only to have his fears rebuked 
by a troop of these hardy Norsemen revelling in some back pasture as if they 
had found their Valhalla on this side the icy gates. Ho! brothers! here is 
food in these capsules of mustard and cockle; here is wine distilled from 
the rose-hips; here is shelter in the weedy mazes, or under the soft blanket 
of the snow. What ho! Lift the light song! Pass round the cup again! 
Let mighty cheer prevail!” (Birds of Ohio). 
Truth to tell, the Western Tree Sparrows are somewhat rare winter 
visitors, in eastern Washington only. In habits they do not appear to differ 
materially from the typical form, which is very abundant in winter thruout 
the northern tier of eastern states. In the nature of the case, while with us, 
their food, consisting as it does of grass- and weed-seeds and dried berries, 
is found near the ground; and so, for the season, the name Tree Sparrow 
seems inconsistent. When persistently annoyed, however, the flock will rise 
