° 1918 J Hubbs, NuttalVs Sparrow in California. 321 



Although it was raining on the twelfth day, the nestlings began 

 to climb out of their nest. The parents encouragingly chirped to 

 them, a few feet away. I put the first one back. Although I had 

 handled it every day while weighing it, now it screamed with 

 fear. The parents forgot their timidity and flew down angrily 

 close to my head, making a queer clicking noise. It was useless 

 to try to prevent these little wanderers from leaving the nest. 

 Although weather conditions were unfavorable, and they could 

 not fly, they had to leave. The nest cycle of twelve days had 

 been completed. 



THE DISTRIBUTION OF NUTTALL'S SPARROW IN 

 CALIFORNIA. 



BY CARL L. HUBBS. 



During the months of May, June, and July, 1916, the writer 

 was engaged in a collecting trip along the central California coast. 

 During the trip observations were repeatedly made on Zonotrichia 

 leucophrys nuttalli, as it soon became apparent that the peculiarly 

 restricted distribution of this sparrow had not received the full 

 attention that its significance deserves. These detailed records 

 are briefly presented, as they are used to establish and justify the 

 generalizations that follow. 



This White-crowned Sparrow breeds in the humid region along 

 the Pacific Coast, occupying an area south of that inhabited by 

 Z. I. gambeli. The latter subspecies migrates southward to Cali- 

 fornia in large numbers, whereas Z. I. nuttalli undertakes no ex- 

 tensive latitudinal migration, merely occupying a slightly wider 

 range during the winter months than in the breeding season. 



Definite Records. — Dr. Grinnell has recorded the status of 

 Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli in California as follows: "Common 

 resident of the narrow humid coast belts"; 1 "breeds south from 

 Humboldt Bay through the San Francisco and Monterey Bay 



1 Grinnell, Pacific Coast Avifauna, 3, 1902, p. 52. 



