Sparrows and Other Small Birds 
The finch tribe is well fitted to such surroundings, and is largely 
represented in southern Alaska. The pine grosbeak is plentiful, espe¬ 
cially in autumn, the Kadiak race of this species breeding along the 
coast from the base of the Alaska Peninsula eastward as far, at least, 
as Glacier Bay, making its nest in spruce trees. Crossbills are seen 
irregularly, but no doubt breed. Rosy finches make their home on 
the higher mountain-slopes, and redpolls rear their young in the 
higher woods. 
Along the coast, in open, grassy places, are to be seen and heard 
in summer the western savanna sparrow, Gambel’s whitethroat, its 
cousin, the golden-crowned, and the western tree-sparrow. Of the 
snow-birds (Junco), both the typical and the Oregon forms are to 
be found, nesting on brushy hillsides at the roots of bushes; while 
several subspecies of the highly variable song sparrow are present, 
but much scattered in distribution. The rusty song sparrow occurs 
only at the extreme southern extremity of the Territory; the sooty 
variety is numerous only as far north as Glacier Bay; the Yakutat 
song sparrow belongs to the chilly front of the Mt. Fairweather 
range, the Kenai to the Kenai Peninsula; the Kadiak to the island of 
that name and the neighboring mainland, and the Aleutian variety 
to the Alaska Peninsula and certain of the Aleutian Islands. 
Forbush’s sparrow, a variety of Lincoln’s, and two races of fox 
sparrows, are scattered in favorable brushy or grassy places all along 
the coast to the Alaska Peninsula. One of the fox sparrows (Town¬ 
send’s) is a brilliant singer. 
The barn swallow (a few of which still place their nests on the 
cliffs of the outlying islands) gladdens the villagers along the coast 
for a few weeks in midsummer; and tree swallows nest in old wood¬ 
pecker-holes in the dead stubs in the woods, coming down to the shore 
after their young are able to fly, and soon drifting southward. 
Few warblers, of course, appear upon the list of this part of the 
country. The lutescent variety of the orange-crown, the Alaska 
yellow warbler, Townsend’s warbler, and the pileolated variety of 
the blackcap, are all so far noted. The dipper is to be found on 
almost every stream. 
The large family of wrens and thrashers is represented only by 
the winter wren in its western variety; but a separate race inhabits 
Kadiak Island. Brown creepers are fairly common along streams, 
and there are two chickadees—the long-tailed and the chestnut- 
15 
