1920] Swarth: Revision of Avian Genus Passerella 107 



British Columbia are worthy of record, indicating a striking absence 

 of migrants representing subspecies that might be supposed to occur 

 commonlj^ An expedition to the Prince William Somid region, 

 Alaska, covering the migration period in part at least, took no speci- 

 mens of Passerella other than the breeding form, sinuosa. Of two 

 expeditions to the Sitkan district, Alaska, each one covering nearly 

 the entire migration period, both spring and fall, one collected nothing 

 but the breeding fox sparrow, townscndi, the other secured, besides 

 an abundance of townsendi, a single migrating individual of another 

 race, insularis. An expedition to Vancouver Island, covering both 

 spring and fall migration, secured, besides the breeding fuUginosa, 

 one migrating individual of insularis and three of townsendi. I have 

 at hand, however, two specimens of unalaschoensis taken at Ketchikan, 

 on the coast of southeastern Alaska, April 12 and 15, 1916, migrating 

 birds, of course, and proof that some individuals, at least, do pass 

 through this region. On the whole, however, it seems probable that 

 these northern Alaskan fox sparrows do not as a rule travel south- 

 Avard by slow stages, passing continuously through the regions directly 

 south of their breeding homes, but rather that departure is made 

 abruptly and by long flights to distant destinations. It may very 

 well be that unalaschce^isis, insularis, and sinuosa, with their summer 

 habitats lying so far to the westward, fly southeast over the open 

 ocean for a long distance, the main body of the travelers not reaching 

 the North American mainland until at about the northern boundary 

 of the United States. 



In the above connection it may be noted that the one migrating 

 example of insularis just referred to as having been collected in the 

 Sitkan district, Alaska, was taken on Kuiu, one of the westernmost 

 islands of the region, and a station where there was also found 

 migrating the Aleutian Savannah sparrow {Passerculus sandivichensis 

 sandwichensis) , whose summer home lies in the same general region 

 as this fox sparrow. 



In the Schistacea group the winter migration involves a moving 

 down from the high mountains, but there is a decided southward 

 passage also. The lines of travel and the respective winter habitats 

 of the several subspecies are not so well understood as is the case in 

 the other groups ; although the material at hand for the present study 

 serves to explain some of the questions involved, there is need of 

 further collecting of specimens and observation of migration at many 

 points. 



