^22 LAND BIRDS 



stalk or on a low bush, ruffling his little throat with a 

 continuous flow of music. Or he may be caught dancing 

 before his demure brown sweetheart, ecstatically pouring 

 out melody. It is difficult to go anywhere in the inte- 

 rior valleys of California and not see him. His striped 

 head and white-bordered tail and sweet song are the 

 characteristics by which you may identify him. 



His nest is usually well hidden, either on the ground 

 or in low bushes, and in going to it he skulks through 

 the intervening foliage in a secretive fashion hard to 

 follow. The young are like those of his kind, naked, 

 except for thin down, and blind for the first few days, 

 during which they are fed by regurgitation. They are 

 well feathered on the tenth day, and at this stage scram- 

 ble out of the nest at the approach of danger. Like 

 young meadowlarks they spend their babyhood days in 

 the concealment afiForded by the grass and thickets, and 

 not until able to fly do they follow the adults to the 

 more conspicuous feeding grounds. 



554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. — Zonotricfiia 

 lencophrys. 



Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



liength: 6.50-7.50. 



Adults: Upper parts grayish brown, back streaked with brown or black ; 

 crown with median white stripe, having lateral deep black stripe ; a 

 broad white superciliary stripe, below which is a narrower black 

 stripe behind the eye ; edge of wing white ; under parts plain gray. 



Young: Similar to adults, but head striped brown and huffy instead of 

 black and white ; under parts very light brown ; breast, sides of 

 throat, and sides of belly streaked. 



Oeographical Distribution: United States and Canada, north to Lab- 



