North American Birds Eggs. 



269 



585a. Shumagin Fox Sparrow. P. i. vimlaschensis. 



Kange. — Shumagin Islands and the Alaska coast to Cook Jnlet. 



Similar to the last but paler, being one of the several recent iinsatisfartory sub- 

 divisions ol this genus. The nesting habits and eggs of all the varieties are 

 like those of the common eastern form. 

 585*. Kadiak Fox Sparrow. P. i. iiiimlaris. 



Range.— Breeding on Kadiak Island; winters south to California. 



Like the last but browner above and below. 

 5 8 5*. Sooty Fox Sparrow. P. i. hiliginoaa. 



Range. — Coast of Washington and British Columbia; south to California in 

 winter. 



Upperparts and tail uniform brownish umber, below heavily spotted. 

 585*. Townsend Fox Sparrow. P. i. towuM'udi. 



Range.— Southern coast of Alaska; winters south to California. Like the last 

 but more rufous above. 

 585*. Yakutat Fox Sparrow. P. i. annectens. 



Range. — Coast of Alaska about Yakutat Bay. Very similar to fuliginosa. 

 585b. Thick-billed Sparrow, P. i. niegarhynchn. 



Range. — Mountains of eastern California and western Nevada; locally confined. 



Entire upper parts and breast spots gray; wings and tail brown. It nests in the 

 heaviest underbrush of the mountain sides, building on or close to the ground. 

 585c. Slate-colored Sparrow. P. i. sdiistarea. 



Range. — Rocky Mountain region, breeding from Colorado to British Columbia. 



This variety which is similar to, but smaller than the last, nests in thickets 

 along the mountain streams. The eggs are like those of iliaca, but average 

 smaller. 

 585d. Stephens Sparrow. P. i. stephensi. 



Range.— Breeds in the San Bernadino and San Jacinto Mts. in southern Cali- 

 fornia. 



Like the Thick-billed Sparrow, but bill still larger and bird slightly so. 

 586. Texas Sparrow. Arremoiinps rufivirgata. 



Range. — Eastern Mexico and southern Texas. 



This odd species has a brownish crown, olive greenish upper- 

 parts, wings and tail, and grayish white underparts. They 

 are common resident birds along the Lower Rio Grande, being / 

 found in tangled thickets, where they nest at low elevations, ( 

 making their quite bulky nests of coarse weeds and grass and 

 sometimes twigs, lined with finer grass and hair; they are often 

 partially domed with an entrance on the side. Their eggs are 

 plain white, without markings; often several broods are raised [White.] 



in a season and eggs may be found from May until August. 



* * * English Sparrow. Passer doincsticiis. 



These birds, which were imported from Europe, have increased so rapidly that 

 they have overrun the cities and villages of the country and are doing inestimable 

 damage both by driving out native insect eating birds and 

 by their own destructiveness. The}' nest in all sorts of 

 places but preferably behind blinds, where their unsightly 

 masses of straw protrude from between the slats, and their 

 droppings besmirch the buildings below; they breed at all 

 seasons of the year, eggs having often been found in Janu- 

 ary, with several feet of snow on the ground and the mer- 

 cury below zero. The eggs number from four to eight in a 

 set and from tour to eight sets a season; the eggs are whitish, spotted and blotch- 

 ed with shapes of gray and black. Size .88 x .60. 



* * * European Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus. 



Another European species very similar to the last, that has been naturalized 

 chiefly about St. Louis, Mo. Their eggs are like those of the last but smaller. 



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