FJ^INGILLID.K — THE FINCriES. Qgi, 



Passerculus savanna, mu. alaudinus, Bonap. 



WEST .RN SAVANNA SPAHROW. 



Pnssercuh,, ,ihni,lhu,s, lip. Coini.tMs R.n.lus, XXXVII, !),.,-. 1853, OlS, Palifomia —In 

 Notes ()initl,ol,>:,ri,j,„., Ivjattiv, l.sr,4, IS (ivpHnt of preciMliiiK). - nAllin, Hinls X Am' 

 ISA 44.!, pi. .xlvi. -('..oi-Kii & Sr.Ki.KY, 197. pi. xxviii, f. 2. - Elmot, Illust. An> 

 B. MI.- l)Ar,..>^ liA.NMsiKii, Tr. Ch. Act. I, I8(i9, 284 (Alaska). -Copkh, Oin. Cal. 

 I, 181. l-us^n-nihi.H mcauna and P. anl/iinus, Dall & Banmstek, Tr. (Jh Ac I 

 186!), pp. 28.!, 284. • • '. 



Sp. C..AU. Similar t„ /'. .~,„rrnu,o. hut Mnall.-r; the bill ..l.Mi.loror an,l more olon-atod. 

 Littlo of yellow lu the .sui.orcMliary strip,- (must ,listiiK-t anteriorly); the re.st of the'head 

 without any t,n,i;e of the ..an.e. (Jeneral ••olor mueh paler an.l -rayer than in P. suvmnm 

 lireast with only a lew .spots. Length, 0.2.1 ; wing, l'.?,"); tail, 2 ;j() 



Hah. Mi,l,lle an.l \Ve.slern Provin.'es of North' Anieri... ;'.s"o,uh to Onzaha, north to 

 Ahusk-a (Kodiak) and the Aretic coast, Oaxaca (Scl. Oct.); Vera Cru. (winter, Sumi- 



C'IIKAST). 



This wo.stern race of P. srmmna i.s .sninller, considerably paler in general 

 colors, tiie sii].er(Mliary stripe, with little yellow in it, and the l-ill more 

 slender, and longer. In coloiation, some Atlantic coast specimens often 

 exhibit an ai)pr...ximati.)n, especially in the pale tint of the sni-erciliary 

 stripe; but the l)ill is always decidedly m„re attenuated in (>/,nt,/iHits. 



The "Western Savanna Sj)arrow is a common .species throu-^hout the West- 

 ern Province of North America, from the i-lains to California, and from 

 Alaska to Mexico. In California it appears to be replace! alony the Pacific 

 coast by the variety ,ni//,hn>.^, a (luite diflerent and very local form. In 

 Alaska, specimens were obtained by the natiu'alists of the Itussian Tele- 

 graph Expedition at various localities, chiefly in the interior, and on the 

 Yukon it was obtained by :\rr. Lockhart. Dr. Cooi)er found it at Fort 

 Steilacoom, in Wa.shington Teriifoiy, where it was in company with P.mnd- 

 wirhemis, in the wet meadows. In California this species inhabits chiefly, 

 according to Dr. Cooper, the dry plains of the interior of the State. The 

 statement of the occurrence of this form anywliere along the coast of Cali- 

 fornia should be received with considerable doubt, since in the laige series 

 of these birds all specimens from this region are of the variety anthinus, 

 an exclusively littoral type. 



^ Hahits. Tlie Western Savanna Spnrrow was found throughout the C.reat 

 I'.asin, by Mr. K'idgway, in all wet, grassy situation.s, in whicii prererence it 

 is like its eastern relative. It was very abundant at Carson City, inhabiting 

 exclusively the meadows. At Salt Lake City it was also very abundant'^ 

 fretpienting the wet meadows near the Jordan. 



This bird was idso ol)tained at Sitkii by ISischolf, and was found on the 

 Yukon by ]\Ir. Lockhart. It is the only .sjn'cies found in tlu! Valley of the 

 Mackenzie, uji to tlie Arctic c.iast. 



Dr. Cooper also met witli it annuig tlie low meadows of Washington Ter- 



G8 



