WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 213 



The nest of these charming feathered romps is high in 

 a pine tree on the steep side of a canon, so inaccessible 

 that never have I looked into one. After the broods are 

 reared and able to look out for themselves, the Pine 

 Siskins band together in small flocks. So long as every 

 bit of food is not covered with snow too deep for shak- 

 ing off, they feast and frolic among the scrubby pines of 

 the mountains until storms drive them to the foot-hills. 



540 a. WESTERN VESPER SPARROW. — Pocecefe* 



gramineus confinis. 



Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 6.00-6.75. 



Adults: Upper parts brownish gray, everywhere streaked .with dusky; 



bend of wing reddish brown ; outer tail-feathers mostly white ; under 



parts pale butfy white ; streaked along sides of throat and across 



chest with dark grayish brown. 

 Young : Similar to adult, but markings less distinct. 

 Geographical Distribution : Western North America, north to British 



America, east to Manitoba, south to Lower California and Mexico. 

 California Breeding Bange : In the valleys east of the Sierra Nevada. 

 Breeding Season : May and June. 

 Nest : On the ground ; of dried grass. 

 Eggs : 3 to 6 ; pale buffy, or dull whitish, often blotched and streaked 



with reddish brown and lavender. Size 0. 80 X 0. 60. 



The hall marks of this dull-colored haunter of grassy 

 upland meadows and roadside thickets are its pale red- 

 brown shoulders and white outer tail-feathers, shown as 

 it flies low over the ground ahead of you. Rarely does 

 it venture higher than the top of a fence' post, or the low 

 branch of a scrub pine, to sing its quaint melodious ves- 

 per hymn. As the sun sinks behind the dark trees it 



