. 
WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 229 
Geographical Distribution ; Western United States east to Rocky Moun- 
tains, south to Mexico, north to British Columbia. 
California Breeding Range: Arid foot-hill regions of the interior, chiefly 
along the southern Sierra Nevada. 
Breeding Season: May and June. 
Nest: Of dry grasses and rootlets; lined with hair; placed generally in 
sagebushes a few feet from the ground. 
Eggs: Usually 4; light greenish blue, with reddish brown markings, 
chiefly at the larger end. Size 0.69 X 0.58. 
WHEREVER in California there is sagebrush there are 
Brewer Sparrows, be it in the arid deserts of the south- 
ern district, or among the foot-hills, or on the mountains. 
As Mrs. Bailey says, 8,400 feet high on the snowy crests 
of the sierras, “ morning and evening the curious little 
tinkling song comes up from all over the brush, and it 
seems as if we had come upon a marsh full of singing 
though subdued, marsh wrens.” 
In appearance this sparrow is much like the clay- 
colored sparrow, but is paler and duller, being almost 
ashy on the under parts, and harmonizing well with the 
tones of its arid nesting ground. The nests are usually 
in sagebushes a foot or two from the ground, and, unlike 
those of most sparrows, are lined with hair. In this 
and in other habits it resembles the chipping sparrow, 
and the eggs are so like those of the latter as to be dis- 
tinguishable from them with difficulty. It is sometimes 
called the “Sagebrush Chippie.” The newly hatched 
young complete the family resemblance, being the same 
daintily proportioned little creatures that we find in the 
nests of the Kastern chipping sparrow or hair bird. As 
soon as they are able to fly, they care for themselves, and 
the parents turn their attention to another brood. In 
