452 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



song of the lark sparrow. In addition, like other crowned sparrows, the 

 Golden-crown, when disturbed, utters sharp metallic call notes. 



In foraging, these sparrows, in scattered formation, advance out from 

 the margins of the brush patches onto open ground where they hop here 

 and there seeking their food, which is chiefly of a vegetable nature. They 

 feed in particular upon the green seedlings of various 'weeds.' When 

 the birds chop up between the edges of their mandibles the sprouting 

 succulent seedlings, the exuding juice soils their faces and not infrequently 

 even the plumage of their breasts. After the first rains have started the 

 new growth of annuals, the bills of the birds are quite characteristically 

 gummed up with dried green stuff. 



Western Chipping Sparrow. Spizella passerina arizonae Coues 



Field characters. — Decidedly smaller than Junco, and with narrower tail. Crown 

 of head chiefly bright reddish brown (pi. 8d) ; stripe over eye ashy white; upper surface 

 of body brown, with black streaks on back ; under surface of body ashy white, unmarked 

 in adults, streaked in juveniles. No white on tail. Voice: Song of male a monotonous 

 cicada-like buzz, lasting several seconds; both sexes utter a weak tseet. 



Occurrence. — Summer visitant widely from floor of San Joaquin Valley to near timber 

 line on Sierra Nevada ; found in nesting season from Snelling east to Tioga Pass. Most 

 abundant in Transition Zone and least numerous in Lower Sonoran and Hudsonian 

 zones. Passes through Mono Lake country during spring migration. Winters in small 

 numbers at Snelling. Frequents various situations, most often margins of clearings 

 adjacent to small trees. Forages chiefly on ground. Flocks loosely after nesting. 



The Western Chipping Sparrow possesses special characteristics which 

 serve to bring it quickly to the notice of anyone who goes camping in the 

 Sierras. Smaller even than a junco, and marked by neither brilliancj' 

 of coloration nor attractiveness of song, it might easily be overlooked. But 

 it has the regular habit of coming close about a camp site and hopping, 

 wdth many quick movements of both head and body, and with seeming 

 fearlessness, over the open ground. It thus chooses as its own forage area 

 the same sort of place that the vacationist selects for his camp ; and so 

 the bird happens to come much more than halfway toward bringing about 

 an early acquaintanceship. 



As regards coloration, the Western Chipping Sparrow is more easily 

 distinguished by lack of conspicuous features than by the possession of 

 any positive color marks. Only one, the reddish brown crown patch (pi. 

 Sd), stands forth with any prominence; otherwise, the adult bird shows 

 ashy white, unstreaked lower surface, dull brown wings and tail, and in- 

 conspicuously streaked back. Young birds, up to two months or so of ago, 

 are narrowly streaked on the under surface as \ve\\ as above. W^ith the 

 first autumnal molt they become plain on the lower surface, while the 



