1920] Sumrth: Revision of Avian Genus Passerella 145 



Distinguishing characters. — Of the Unalaschcensis group (see p. 

 89). Compared with the subspecies to the northward, unalaschcensis, 

 insularis, sinuosa, and annectens, coloration is much darker, more 

 rufescent, spots on breast larger and more crowded. Compared with 

 fuliginosa, to the southward, townsendi is brighter colored, less sooty. 

 General size slightly less, and size of bill appreciably less than in 

 unalaschcensis, insularis, and simiosa, slightly less even than in 

 annectens (see table 4). An average fall specimen just through the 

 molt, in general coloration of upper parts (head, neck and back) is 

 close to bister. Spring birds are appreciably paler colored, about 

 Vandyke brown. 



Remarks. — The Townsend fox sparrow is a notable example of a 

 bird with a winter habitat nearly as sharply defined as its summer 

 home. In the Humboldt Bay region of California it is an abundant 

 winter visitant, but even here it is evidently restricted to a narrow 

 strip of territory immediately adjoining the coast. Of forty-six fox 

 sparrows examined from the Hmnboldt Bay region taken during the 

 winter months, forty are townsendi; of sixty examples of townsendi 

 taken in California (migrants and winter visitants), forty-nine are 

 from the Humboldt Bay region. From these figures it is apparent 

 that in California townsendi is closely confined to this particular 

 region ; it is also evident that it is the predominant form of Passerella 

 there. The only other fox sparrows I have seen from that section 

 are a few winter visitant fuliginosa, as listed beyond, several migrating 

 simwsa, and one migrating annectens. The last mentioned subspecies 

 is so abundant a winter visitant to the California coast to the south- 

 ward, in the regions about San Francisco and Monterey bays, as to 

 make its rarity at Humboldt Bay a matter of surprise and of evident 

 significance. Conversely, the subspecies townsendi is almost as rare 

 in the winter metropolis of annectens. The winter habitats of the 

 two forms are nearly as sharply defined as the breeding ranges, and 

 there is very little straying on either side. 



The summer home of the Townsend fox sparrow includes a long 

 stretch of coast in southeastern Alaska, but the bird apparently is 

 not continuously distributed throughout this area. The 1907 Alexan- 

 der Alaska Expedition found this subspecies breeding at Glacier Bay 

 (about the northern limit of the form), and at various points on 

 Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof islands (see Grinnell, 1909, p. 232). 

 The 1909 Alexander Alaska Expedition did not find the bird on any 

 of the more southern islands of the Alexander Archipelago, nor at the 

 more southern mainland points touched upon (see Swarth, 1911, 

 p. 93). It is, however, known to be a common summer visitant to 



