[594] BIRDS OF OREGON 



Merrill's Song Sparrow as an Oregon breeding bird and make the above 

 records apply to fallax and fisherella. Our Birds of the Portland Area (Jewett 

 and Gabrielson 191.9), in which we listed two specimens from the Port- 

 land district (taken December 2.4, 192.2., and October 2.8, 192.3), is the 

 first publication of the race from Oregon known to us that is based on 

 specimens. Jewett has since taken two at Portland (April 5 and October 

 6) and one at Seaside (February 4). The Biological Survey collection 

 contains a late spring bird from Warm Springs, Wasco County (May 5, 

 1915), also taken by Jewett, and other birds taken by Cantwell, Jewett, 

 Bailey, or others at Willows, Gilliam County (April 6, 1915), Millers, 

 Sherman County (April 12. and 17, 1915), Philomath, Benton County 

 (March 13, 1919), Parkdale, Hood River County (April i, 2., and 3, 1919), 

 and Klamath Falls (no date). There is also a pale bird in the Gabrielson 

 collection, taken at Portland (January 8, 192.2.), that has been identified 

 as M. m. inexpectata Riley by Oberholser, and there are two identical 

 birds in Jewett's possession taken at Prineville (October 10 and 2.4) that 

 should probably be included here. Inexpectata was not recognized in the 

 last A. O. U. Check-List, and no comparative material is available to us 

 to place them otherwise. 



Yakutat Song Sparrow: 



M.elospi%a melodia caurina Ridgway 



DESCRIPTION. "Similar to M. c. rufina but with decidedly longer and more slender 

 bill and grayer coloration; the superciliary stripe, middle portion of auricular region, 

 sides of neck, hindneck, and edges of interscapulars decidedly gray, in more or less 

 strong contrast with the brown markings; streaks on chest, etc. [and sides and flanks] 

 dark seal brown, and ground color of flanks olive-grayish." (Ridgway 1901.) Si%e: 

 Length (skins) 5.70-6.50, wing z^-z.cjo, tail z.46-2..8z, exposed culmen .50-. 56. 

 Nest and eggs: Same as those of M.. m. fallax. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds on coast of southeastern Alaska from Yakutat 

 Bay to Lituya Bay. Winters along coast south to San Francisco. In Oregon: 

 Rather rare winter straggler to coast. 



THE YAKUTAT SONG SPARROW, a big dark-colored bird, can easily be 

 distinguished from its brown companions when it appears on the Oregon 

 coast. In our rather limited acquaintance with it we have found that 

 while in the State it stays almost entirely in the driftwood on the beach 

 or frequents the rocky points loved by the Black Turnstones. The first 

 authentic Oregon specimen was taken at Netarts, April 14, 1914, and a 

 second one was obtained the following day at the same place by Walker. 

 These were first recorded by Shelton (1915). Gabrielson (192.3 c) listed a 

 bird taken at Cannon Beach, Clatsop County, February 8, 192.2., as M. m. 

 kenaiensis on an identification by Oberholser. Subsequent comparison 

 with good series of breeding birds from Alaska and also a re-check by 



