1912] Swarth: Birds and Mammals from Vancouver Island 61 



ingly worn plumage, have hardly begun to change, and one, shot 

 on July 28, is nearly through. 



At every point visited on the east coast, song sparrows were 

 found in numbers in suitable places. At Beaver Creek and 

 around Alberni they were also very abundant. In the Golden 

 Eagle and King Solomon basins, in July, I saw quite a number, 

 mostly full-grown young, but I am inclined to believe that these 

 birds were wanderers from the lowlands, and that they were not 

 hatched at that altitude. 



At Nootka Sound, both on the Tahsis Canal and at Friendly 

 Cove, they were very abundant, one of the few species that was 

 really common at these points. None was seen at the head of 

 Central Lake, nor in the high mountains beyond. At Errington, 

 in September, they were present throughout the month. 



Song sparrows were collected in some numbers at every 

 point where they were encountered, the resultant series amount- 

 ing to 1-18 specimens (nos. 16102-16245, 16683-16686). Of these, 

 ninety-seven are summer adults, thirty-eight juvenals (four in 

 alcohol), and nine immatures and adults in fresh winter plumage. 

 The post-nuptial and post-juvenal molts are fully illustrated. 

 After careful comparison of these birds with a series of forty 

 specimens of the breeding form of song sparrow of southeastern 

 Alaska, I am quite unable to perceive the differences supposedly 

 distinguishing morphna from rufina (see Ridgway, 1901, p. 373), 

 and have consequently referred the Vancouver Island birds to 

 the latter form. 



Certain individuals in the Alaskan series show a decided 

 tendency toward the characters of caurina, and are thus quite 

 different from any of the Vancouver Island specimens, but taking 

 the majority of the skins from the two regions, and comparing 

 birds of the same stage of plumage, so far as I can see there are 

 no discernible differences in color or markings. This is true of 

 the juvenal plumage as well as the adult. 



The measurements of the two series are as follows : 



Wing Tail Culmen Tarsus 



Average of eight males 



from southeastern 68.37 63.75 12.34 23.0 



Alaska, (66.0-71.2) (60.5-68.0) (11.5-13.0) (22.0-23.5) 



Average of eight males 



from Vancouver Is- 66.04 64.9 11.85 21.87 



land, (64.0-68.8) (62.0-67.0) (11.0-12.8) (21.0-22.5) 



