FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 405 



with black; tail rufous grayish brown, the middle feathers darker along their 

 shafts; throat and middle of the belly white, breast grayish, sides washed 

 with pale grayish brown. Ads. in winter and Im. Similar, but the top of 

 the head streaked with black, rufous-brown, and grayish; nape less gray; 

 breast washed with brownish. L., 5'89; W., 2'34; T., 2'32; B., '46. 



Remarks. The underparts resemble those of some immature White- 

 throated Sparrows, but the wing-bars and the yellow bend of the wing will 

 always distinguish the latter. 



Range. N. A. e. of Great Plains. Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and 

 part of Upper Austral zones from w. cen. Alberta, cen. Mackenzie, cen. 

 Keewatin, cen. Que., and N. F. s. to n. Nebr., n. Mo., n. Ills., W. Va. (mts.) 

 and N. J. ; winters from Nebr., Ohio Valley, and Mass, (rarely) s. to the Gulf 

 coast from cen. Fla. to Mex. ; accidental in Utah and Colo. 



Washington, very common T. V., Apl. 12-May 19; Sept. 28-Oct. 29; 

 a few winter. Ossining, tolerably common S. R., Apl. 4-Dec. 2; a few winter. 

 Cambridge, abundant S. R., Apl. 12-Nov. 10; a few winter. N. Ohio, com- 

 mon T. V., Mch. 23-May 20. Glen Ellyn, tolerably common T. V., Apl. 

 2-May 26; Sept. 2-Oct. 24; possibly S. R. SE. Minn., common S. R., Apl. 

 5-Nov. 18. 



Nest, generally similar to that of the Song Sparrow, on the ground. Eggs, 

 4-5, similar in color to those of the Song Sparrow, but the markings gener- 

 ally more confluent, '76 x '57. Date, Cambridge, May 13; New Canada, 

 N. S., May 19; Pewaukee, Wise., May 23; se. Minn., May 25. 



While wintering in the South, Swamp Sparrows frequently belie 

 their name, and I have often found numbers of them in dry 'old fields' 

 of broom sedge; but at the north they are more consistent, and one 

 rarely sees them beyond the confines of a wet meadow, or, more prefer- 

 ably, a large grassy marsh with reed-bordered streams. 



Swamp Sparrows may be distinguished from their cousins, the Song 

 Sparrows, by their unstreaked breast, much darker upperparts, and 

 totally different notes. Their usual call-note is a sharp cheep, not unlike 

 that of the White-throated Sparrow, and quite different from the 

 rather nasal chimp of the Song Sparrow. Their song is a simple, sweet, 

 but somewhat monotonous tweet-tweet-tweet, repeated many times, all 

 on one note, and sometimes running into a trill. 



585. Passerella iliaca iliaca (Merr.}. Fox SPARROW. Ads. Upper- 

 parts rufous-brown, the feathers margined by cinnamon-brown and without 

 black; upper tail-coverts and tail bright rufous; wings margined with rufous; 

 underparts heavily streaked and spotted with rufous-brown and blackish; 

 middle of the belly white; lower mandible yellowish. L., 7'26; W., 3*39; 

 T., 2-85; B., '50. 



Range. N. A. Breeds in Boreal 

 zones from tree limit in ne. Alaska, 

 and n. Ungava s. to cen. Alberta, n. 

 Man., s. Keewatin, Magdalen Islands, 

 and N. F. ; winters from lower Ohio 

 and Potomac valleys (occasionally 

 further n.) to cen. Tex. and n. Fla.; 

 casual on the coast of s. Alaska and in 

 Calif. 



Washington, very abundant T. V., 

 Mch. 13-May 11; Oct. 23-Nov. 15; 



a few winter. Ossining, tolerably com- v"%' A ' 



mon T. V., Mch. 4-Apl. 20; Oct. 14- ' ''* * 



Nov. 28. Cambridge, abundant T. V., FIG. 108. Fox Sparrow. (Natural size.) 



