I I ; THE DESERT Sl'AKkflW . 



lialMts iIr'sc little felli)us .ippro.uii mi>re closely to coloniziiif,' than any otlicr 

 nicniliiTs i>| tlif S|>arro\v family. Larfje tracts of land. ap|)arcntly suitable, 

 arc left untenanted: while, in a near-l>y field of a few acres, half a dozen 

 l)airs inav be fonnil nestinjj. More recently the birds have accepted the 

 shelter of irrifjated tracts up<in the l%;ist-side, and their nnmlwrs would seem 

 alniost certainly to Iw u])on the increase. 



To ascertain the ])resencc of these binls. the ear-test is Ijest, when once 

 the .SI ng is niastercd. The latter consists of a series of lis])inK and buzzing 

 notes, fine onlv in the sense of l)eing small, and rpiite unmusical, t.iiil. Istil. 

 Isii '■i^':ccc:;lsiibut. The sound instantly recalls the eastern Grasshop])er Spar- 

 row (Cotiiniiciilits sin-auiiaruiii f^asscriiiiis), wlut is an <»wii cousin: but the 

 l)reliminarv and closing flourishes are a grRxl deal longer than those of the 

 related species, and the buzzing strain shorter. 



L<i\e-making goes by e.\ami)lc as well as by season, so that when the 

 choral fever is on they are all at it. The males will sing from the ground 

 rather than keep silence, altho they ])refer a wecd-toj). a fence ]>ost, or even a 

 convenient tree. The female listens patiently near by. or if she tries to slij* 

 away for a bit of food, the jealous lover recalls her to duty l>y an arfient chase. 



The nest is settled snugly in the dead grasses of last year's ungathered 

 crop, and is thus both concealed from above and upborne from below, and 

 is itself carefully done in fine dead grasses. 



The sitting bird docs not often |)erinit a close approach, but rises from 

 the nest at not less than thirty feet. The ])recisc spot is. therefore, very 

 ditVicult to locate. If discovered the bird will ])otter alxmt with fine affection 

 of lisllessness, and seems to consider that she has done her full duty in not 

 shi'wing the eggs. 



No. 44. 



DESERT SPARROW . 



A. O. IT. No. 57.V»- Amphispi/.a hilineata desertkola iCil^w 

 Description. — Adults: .\l)ovc brownish gray, hmwucr on middle of back 

 and on witij,". : n conspicuous white superciliary stripe lK>undcd narrowly by black 

 above and si]>arated from white malar stripe (not reaching b.Tse of bill) by gray 

 on sides of luail : lores. antcrii>r portion of malar region, chin, thm.-it ami chest 

 centrallv black, the last named with convex posterior outline: remaining under- 

 I)arts white tinge<l with grayish on si<les and flanks; tail blackish, the outer 

 web of outermost rectrix chiefly white, the inner web with white s]>ot on tip. 

 second rectrix (sometimes third or even fourth i tippeil with white on inner web. 

 Bill dusky: feet ami legs brownish black. Ynumi l)ir<N like adults Init without 

 bl.-ick patiern of head markings: chin and throat white or flecked with grayish: 

 breast streakol with same and back faintly streaked with dusky: some bufTy 



