1920] Swarth: Revision of Avian Genius Passerella 125 



the manner in which fox sparrows are distributed over much of the 

 general range of the species elsewhere, locally segregated at scattered 

 points, and considering the variation seen elsewhere in series of breed- 

 ing birds taken from isolated, but relatively close colonies, it would 

 not be surprising if the diverse specimens of altivagans from the 

 winter home of that race, should prove to be representative of addi- 

 tional recognizable subspecies, forming chains of variants comparable 

 to those just mentioned. 



Riley's type series from the Moose Pass region was taken at high 

 altitudes (see Riley, 1912, p. 69), and the McGillvary Creek birds 

 were collected at 5000 feet and 7000 feet altitude. These facts point 

 to the probabilit}^ of altivagans inliabiting in summer the higher 

 mountains, and not occurring in the valleys, just as is the case with 

 the related subspecies to the southward. Under such conditions there 

 is added probability of the existence of distinguishable forms within 

 the general range here ascribed to altivagans. 



Two skins from Penticton and one from Midway, British Columbia, 

 show a leaning toward schistacea. While from the dates of capture 

 (April 21 and May 5) they may have been migrants at the points 

 where they were taken, it is probably fair to assume that they would 

 have bred somewhere near-by, and that these places therefore lie 

 just north of the boundary line between altivagans and schistacea. In 

 typical form, therefore, altivagans probably does not breed south of 

 the British Columbia-Washington boundary, nor schistacea north of it. 



An interesting sidelight on the status of this subspecies is afforded 

 by the comments written upon the labels of many specimens examined 

 from contributing collections. There is hardly a bird collection of 

 any size in California but contains one or more examples of this race, 

 manj^ of them collected years before altivagans was described. These 

 specimens have almost invariably been a source of trouble to their 

 owners, for various names are written and rewritten upon the labels, 

 frequently with question marks appended. Some of these birds have 

 been referred to different authorities for naming, and the labels reflect 

 opinions of their relationships, which, though diversely worded, are 

 mostly in agreement as to the general status of the race. "Schistacea 

 — not typical," " schistacea y^ iliaca," "iliaca — intergrade, " are the 

 terms most frequently seen, terms which quite accurately indicate the 

 systematic position of altivagans, and in their unanimity also express 

 the need of, and justification for, the naming of the subspecies. 



