324 Rockwell and Wetmore, Birds of Golden, Colorado. [_^^ 



common along a dry gully south of Golden. Spring birds have the in- 

 distinct white throat patch more pronounced than fall birds and one imma- 

 ture male taken November 7 showed a few black feathers in the crown. 



58. Spizella monticola ochracea. Western Tree Sparrow. — The 

 last bird was seen in the spring, April 3, and the subspecies did not appear 

 again until October 17. The first were seen at the plains level and a week 

 later they were common and were taken at the highest altitude on Lookout 

 Mountain. Up to November 7 all taken were adults with the exception of 

 a single immature male taken October 24. After that date the immature 

 birds were the commoner of the two. In no way did these birds differ 

 from the eastern variety in habits. With the heavy snows in November 

 the greater number moved from the mountains to the lower level of the 

 various creeks. 



59. Spizella passerina arizonae. Western Chipping Sparrow. — 

 Common during the spring and summer and very abundant from the last 

 of August to the tenth of October. In a large series of this subspecies 

 there is no approach to S. p. passerina of the Eastern United States. Adults 

 only were taken up to August 22, when they were in worn plumage. On the 

 29th young birds in the first striped plumage were taken, and a week later 

 some specimens had completed the moult into the winter dress. The 

 striped birds were taken up to September 26, and others were variously 

 marked at that time according to the stage of development of the moult. 

 October specimens were in perfect condition. There is much variation in 

 immature birds as to the amount of rufous concealed in the crown, and also 

 in the distribution of the black occipital stripes. In some cases these are 

 uniform over the entire top of the head, and in others they are restricted 

 to the lateral line. 



The first bird was taken April 25 near Golden and they were fairly 

 common up to July 25, when they began to increase in numbers and 

 probably were coming down out of the mountains. August 1 on South 

 Table Mountain there were large flocks, composed largely of adults, feeding 

 among the loose rocks near some water holes. At our approach they strag- 

 gled off giving only a faint " tsip " as a call note. The adult birds were 

 common to the first of September but by the 19th of the month only the 

 immature specimens were found. They were common from Golden to the 

 top of Lookout Mountain and it was a curious fact that those at the lower 

 levels were aU in worn plumage and moulting, while those higher up had 

 attained the full winter dress. They were found in large flocks and were 

 continually on the move. Stray birds kept dropping in every few minutes 

 to good feeding grounds and when a large flock was started they went off 

 through the bushes and over the hills at a rapid rate. 



October 10 stragglers were common but the large flocks had disappeared 

 and the last bird was seen October 17. 



60. Spizella breweri. Brewer's Sparrow. — August 1 we took four 

 of these birds on South Table Mountain, three adults and one immature. 

 The birds were very shy and retiring, probably due to the season and the 



