2^0 Snodgrass, Land Birds of Ce?itral. Washington. [ April 



28. Icterus bullocki. Bullock's Oriole. — Scarce over all the region 

 traversed. None were seen anywhere in the open, sage-brush desert areas, 

 nor were anj met with in the fertile, tree-covered country about North 

 Yakima. Several individuals were seen farther south in the Yakima 

 valley at Prosser. A few also occur in the strips of trees and brush along 

 the Walla Walla and Touchet streams in Walla Walla County. Common 

 in eastern Whitman County. 



29. Scolecophagus cyanocephalus. Brewer's Blackbird. — Abun- 

 dant almost everywhere, except in sage-brush regions where there is no 

 near access to water. 



30. Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch. — This species is 

 common in Whitman and Garfield Counties, but it is almost rare in the 

 arid regions to the west. A few were seen at North Yakima and in Walla 

 Walla County. 



31. Pocecetes gramineus confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow. — The 

 distribution of this bird in the central parts of the State is rather curious. 

 It is abundant throughout all the sage-brush country of Lincoln County 

 and the northern half of Douglas County from the edge of the timber 

 west of Spokane to Waterville. Here it is the predominant bird of the 

 sage-brush and wheat fields. To the south, however, in Franklin, Yakima, 

 and Walla Walla Counties, we did not meet with it, and the Chipping 

 Sparrow was the predominant bird. In Whitman and Garfield Counties 

 both of these species are common field birds. 



32. Chondestes grammacus strigatus. Western Lark Sparrow. — 

 A common bird in Whitman, Garfield, and Walla Walla Counties, and a 

 few individuals were seen at North Yakima in Yakima County. Generally 

 it avoids the dryer desert regions. 



33. Spizella socialis arizonae. Western Chipping Sparrow. — 

 Abundant over all the region traversed : in the tree-covered country 

 about North Yakima and along the Walla Walla and Touchet streams of 

 Walla Walla County ; on the sage brush deserts of Franklin and Yakima 

 Counties ; and on the bunch-grass or wheat regions of Columbia, Garfield, 

 and Whitman Counties. Very rare in the northern half of the desert 

 regions of the central part of the State. None were seen last summer 

 during a trip through Lincoln County and the Grand Coulee region of 

 Douglas County. 



34. Spizella breweri. Brewer's Sparrow. — This bird has, very curi- 

 ously, almost the same distribution over the desert region of the State 

 as has the Vesper Sparrow. In Lincoln and northern Douglas Counties 

 the two invariably associate together. In Franklin and Yakima Counties, 

 where the Vesper Sparrow is apparently absent, Brewer's Sparrow is very 

 rare. We obtained one specimen of the latter at North Yakima and saw 

 one or two small birds at White Bluffs that appeared to be this species. 

 On our way east from Wallula, through the southern tier of counties, 

 we came upon the Vesper Sparrow again in Garfield County and, simul- 

 taneously with it, we found Brewer's Sparrow. 



