14*) THE MERRILL SONG Sl'AKRi i\\ 



No. 50. 



MKRRlLi;S S()N(, SI'ARROW. 



A. ( ). r. Xi). ^Hi k. Melospi/a mcloJia nicrrilli ( llrcwstcr ). 



Synonyms. — Disky Song Si'akrcjw. Silvkr-tongik. 



Description. — Characters iiUi-rnu-<liatf Ijctwccii those i<i .\[. in. inoiitaiia and 

 M. III. iiii'if'lnui. In (general, darker tlian |)reeediii>; with |>hnnaj;e inure blended, 

 pmportiiin of gray in hack alxuit one-third; ligliter tlian next, not so brown, 

 streakings more (hstinct. 



Nesting. — .Xcst: a substantial structure of twigs, grasses, coiled bark-strij)s, 

 dead leaves, etc. : lined carefully witii line dead grass, rtxitlcts or horse-hair, placed 

 indifTerently in bushes or on the ground, lu/ys: 4-6. usually 5, greenish-, grayish-, 

 or bluish-white, heavily spotted and blotched with reddish browns wliich some- 

 times conceal the background. .\v. size .83 x .61 (21x15.5). Season: .April- 

 July; two or three broods. 



General Range. — The eastern slopes of the Cascades from northern Cali- 

 fornia to southern r)riti>h Columbia, east (at least ) to northern Idaho. 



Range in Washington. — East-side — theoretically inclusive. Specimens from 

 the central valleys of the Cascades may be called niorphmi and those from the 

 Palouse country montana, at pleasure. 



Authorities. — M. fasciata ijullnld. Brewster, Hull. XiUt. ( )rn. Club, \'II. 

 iWj, 227, 22iJ. D'. Ss'. J. 



Specimens. — V'. 



THIS, the connecting link between montana and uiorphna, is the char- 

 acteristic Song Sparrow of eastern Washington, and aljounds along timbered 

 water courses and in all cultivated districts. While closely resembling the 

 Rusty Song Si)ariow of the West-siile, it may be distinguished from it by 

 the sliari)er color ])attern of its ])liiniage; and the ixiints of divergence from 

 nioiilaua are maintained witli substantial uniformity, at least along the 

 eastern sIojks of the Cascades, and in the northern tier of counties. 



.\ltho subjected to considerable rigors in winter, this S|)ecies is ])artially 

 resident, being largely confined during the cold season to the shelter oi tule 

 beds, wild rose thickets, clematis iMiwers, and the like. Nesting begins alxiut 

 the second week in .\pril and continues with undiminished ardor till July 

 or .'\ugust. Incubation requires twelve days, and the young are rcatly to 

 fly in as many m<jre, so that a devoted pair is able to raise three and some- 

 times four broods in a season. 



At this rate we shoidd be overrun with Song S]>arrows if there were 

 not .so many agencies to hold the species in check. .\ young Song Si)arrow 



