116 CRUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 



19. Spizella montana {Fnrxl.) Itidgtr. [210]. TiiK Tree Sparkow. 



Oue of the earliest arrivals iu northern Alaska is the Tree Sparrow. Long before the snow 

 has disappeared from its haunts, or the young buds have begun to swell, our little friend has 

 reached its northern home, and with bustling activity makes its arrangements for the season. 

 Without wasting any time in musical cfl'orts he secures a mate, and soon the pair is busily engaged 

 in the duties of the season. 



Notwithstanding his name, the Tree Sparrow seldom or never resorts to the forest. It is 

 found almost invariably iu the bushy thickets, or even iu the more open sections of the country. 

 It is very common in the Kotzebue Sound region, and is equally abundant throughout the interior. 

 Although of limited musical power, its familiar form imparts life to the otherwise desolate por- 

 tions of the country. 



20. Pasaerella iliaca (Merrcm) Gm. [235]. The Fox-Colorkd Sparrow. 



Among the feathered choristers of the northern forests we sometimes hear one whose clear, 

 sweet tones rise with distinctness above the others. As the clear notes of the leader's violin are 

 heard in an orchestra, so, too, are the notes of the Fox Sparrow heard in the orchestra of nature. 

 While it has not the wild cxhileratiug melody of the thrush, it is more soothing and restful, and 

 it dispels our sense of loneliness in the desolate forest. 



In the far interior the Fox Sparrow is not an abundant species, but along the alder-lined 

 shores of Hothara Inlet and the lower river region they are very common. In this latitude the 

 Fox Sparrow arrives early iu June, and soon after the cares of the season begin. After the 

 young birds appear, our friend, absorbed in its new duties, is seldom heard. 



The latter part of August, when the chilly winds and lengthening nights foretell the coming 

 winter, the Fox Si^arrow, along with many of the smaller birds, prepares to return to his southern 

 home. 



lOTERIDiE.- BLACKBIRDS. 



21. Scolecophagus ferrugineus {Gm.) Swains [473]. The Rusty Blackbird. 



In the Kowak River region, and doubtless throughout Arctic Alaska, the Rusty Blackbird is a 

 common species. The sight of our chattering, roUickiug friend in these far northern regions carries 

 the mind back to more pleasant scenes and surroundings. The eye misses the budding trees, the 

 sprouting fields of grain, the waving corn, and soon the reality of our position comes home to us. 

 The blackbird seems to lose much of his careless good-nature here, and we miss the chattering 

 medley of song so familiar in his southern home. We seldom find him in the spruce forests. He 

 seems to have a preference for the more open birch timber, or the bushy tracts lying along the river 

 banks. It nests here early in June, and about the first of September the birds collect in small 

 flocks and leave for their southern home. 



CORVID^. CROWS, RAVENS. 



22. Conmscorax carnivorus (/3flc/r.) iiirfffic. [280]. The American Raven. 



The above-named species is more or less commou in the present region. Unlike its kind on the 

 Aleutian Islands, it is extremely shy, and is seldom found in the vicinity of the native settlements. 

 The crow nests in the spruce forests throughout the river country ; but as we approach the sea-coast 

 it is much less abundant. 



After the nesting season is over, and the young birds are fully fledged, the crow is found abun- 

 dantly along the exposed sandbars in the river. There, iu company with the gulls, it indulges its 

 fish-eating propensities to the fullest extent. It is abundant, also, in the vicinity of the deserted 

 fishing camps of the natives, where it performs very necessary scavenger service. Although the 

 crow is considered a permanent resident of Arctic Alaska, there is a partial migration during 

 the severe months of winter. 



23. Pica rustlca hudsonica (5co^).) Baird 12W)]. The Black-billed Maopie. 



One specimen in the collection from Hotham Inlet or Kowak River. 



