NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.. 299 



Ammodramus sandwichensis alaudinus (BONAP.) [193^.] 



Western Savannah. Sparrow. 



Hab. Western North America (except in general the Pacific coast region) ; breeds from Rocky Moun- 

 tains north to Alaska; south in winter to Mexico. 



The general habits, nesting, and eggs of this western form of the 

 Savannah Sparrow are in no wise peculiar, but are like those of A. s. 

 savanna. Eggs, .75 x .55. 



542<r. Ammodramus sandwichensis bryanti RIDGW. 



Bryant's Marsh Sparrow. 



Hab. Salt marshes of San Francisco Bay, California. 



This sub-species differs from P. sandwichensis alaudinus in being 

 decidedly smaller and darker in the coloration of the upper parts, which 

 are similar to A. beldingi but not so heavily streaked with black, etc. 

 It has been named by Prof. Ridgway in- honor of the well known 

 ornithologist, Walter E. Bryant, of Oakland, California, who has devoted 

 much study to the birds of San Francisco Bay and vicinity. Mr. Bryant 

 has kindly furnished me with an account of this bird's nesting, eggs, 

 etc. He states that it is a common resident about Oakland, particularly 

 during the winter, when they become generally distributed over fields 

 and along roadsides. The bird apparently prefers dry ground just 

 away from salt marshes for nesting sites, although they also breed 

 amongst the marsh grass in places not subject to overflow during ex- 

 cessively high tides. The fields selected are usually those more or less 

 overgrown with grass and weeds, or pasture lands where considerable 

 cattle are grazing. The nests are placed on the ground, usually in a 

 depression. 



The usual number of eggs is four, rarely five. The color of a set of 

 four taken by Mr. Bryant on May 22, 1880, is grayish-white, irregularly 

 blotched with light brown and reddish -brown, sparingly marked with 

 light purple, which is more noticeable about the larger end, where it 

 appears as shell markings underlying the brown. They measure 20 x 

 14.5, 19.5x14.5, 19.5x14.5, 20.5x14.5 mm.* The nest from which 

 these were taken is composed outwardly of small, dark grass-stems, 

 and lined with fine, light-colored grasses; external diameter 115 mm. 

 by 50 mm. in height ; the cavity is 58 mm. in diameter by 24 mm. 

 deep, t Another set of four eggs in Mr. Bryant's collection came from 

 San Mateo county, California, and was taken May 12, 1878. These are 

 grayish-white, heavily blotched with yellowish and reddish-brown, and 

 an under color of pale lavender. Their sizes are i8-5x 14, 18.5 x 14.5, 

 19x14.5, l8 -5 x 14- 



* .79 x .57, .77 x .57, .77 x .57, .81 x .57. 



t External diameter of nest 4.53; height, 1.97; diameter of cavity, 2.28 by .94 in depth. 



J .73 x .55, .73 x .55, .75 x 57, .73 x .57. 



