nSC NORTH AMEniCAN IJIRDS. 



mnfiA (Iocs in tin* Eastern Statrs. T)r. Cooper states it to bo a very conunoii 

 birtl ill Wasliin<4oii Tt'iritorv. rsiKMiallv in tin* wmtrr, wlicu it coiiu's alxuit 

 tlui liouscs ami tanns with j)reris«'ly tlic same lia])its as thf t'ommou Atlantic 

 sjK'cics. In the .summer it is seen alx)ut l'iij4;et Sound, in which nei^hhorJKujd 

 it hrei'ds. He met with voun'' He<l«rlin«'s as earlv as l»iav 24. At that season 



ft c^ i r* V •/ 



tlieywere not j,'re;^'arious, and were found prineipallyahout the edges of womls. 



Mr. Itidgway also regards the western Snowbird as, in all appreciable 

 rosj)ects, an exact counterpart of the eastern hi/nnaliH. In summer he found 

 it inlmbiting the }»ine woods of the mountains, but in winter descending to 

 Mie lowlands, and entering the towns and gardens in the same manner with 

 the eastern species. 



Dr. Cooper states this species to be numerous in winter in nearly every 

 part of California. In the summer it resides among the mountains down to 

 the i>2d paiallel. On the coast he has not <let(!rmined its residence farther 

 sf>uth than Monterev. The coolness of that locality, and its extensive for- 

 ests of pines extending to the coast, favor the residence of such birds during 

 the summer. At San Diego he observed them until the first of April, when 

 they retired to the neighboring mountains. A few also were found in the 

 Colorado Vallev in the winter. On the Coast ^lountiiins south of Santa 

 Clara he found them breeding in large numbers in ^lay, 1864. One nest 

 contained young, just ready to fly, as early as May 13. This w^as built in a 

 cavity among the roots of a large tree on a steep l)ank. It was made of 

 lepves, grasses, and fine root-fibres. On the outside it was covered with an 

 abundant coating of green moss, raised above the surface of the ground. The 

 old birds betrayed the presence of the nest by their extreme anxiety. On 

 the 20th he found anotlier nest on the very summit of the mountains, sup- 

 posed to be a second laving, as it contained but three eggs. It was slightly 

 sunk in the ground under a fern, and formed like the other, but with less 

 moss around its edge. It was lined with cows' and horses' hair. The eggs 

 were bluish-white, with blackish-brown spots of various sizes thickly sprin- 

 kled around the larger end, and measuring .74 by .60 of an inch. 



The only song Dr. Cooper noticed, of this species, was a faint trill much 

 like that of the SpizcUa social vi, delivered from the top of some low tree in 

 March and April. At other times they have only a sharp call-note, by which 

 they are distinguishable from other Sparrows. While some migi-ate far to 

 the south in winter, others remain as far north as the Columbia River, fre- 

 fpienting, in large numbers, the vicinity of barns and houses, especially when 

 the snow is on the ground. They raise two broods in a season. 



Dr. Coues found this species a very connnon winter resident in Arizona, 

 arriving at Fort Whipple about October 10, soon becoming very abundant, 

 and continuing so until the second week in April. Stragglers were seen until 

 May 10. 



Dr. Woodhouse also observed numbers of the western Snowd)ird on the 

 San Francisco Mountains, in the month of October, where they were very 



