FKINGILLTDiE, FINCHES, ETC. GEN. 69. 139 



and usually showing sharp black shaft lines. No yellowish anywhere ; no 

 tail feathers white ; further distinguished from its allies by the emphasis of 

 its black, bay and ash ; 5J-G ; wing and tail 24--2J. Eastern North America ; 

 a common inhabitant of low thickets, swamps and marshes. WiLS., iii, 49, 

 pi. 22, f. 1 ; AuD., iii, 110, pi. 175 ; Nutt., i, 502 ; Bd., 483. palustris. 

 * * * Breast white, with numerous streaks aggregated into a central blotch ; tail 

 obviously longer than the wings, both rounded. Thickly streaked everywhere 

 a^ve, on sides and across breast. No j'ellowish anywhere. 

 \-t^'^' {/Song Sparrow. Below, white, slightly shaded with brownish on the ^ 

 flanks and crissum, the numerous streaks just mentioned being dusky with 

 brown edges, forming a pectoral blotch and also usuallj' coalescing into 

 maxillary stripes bounding the white throat ; crown dull bay, with fine black 

 streaks, divided and bounded on either side by ashy-whitish lines ; vague 

 brown or dusky and whitish markings on the sides of the head ; the inter- 

 scapular streaks black, with bay and ashy- white edgings ; rump and cervix 

 grayisii-brown, with merely a few baj'- marks ; wings with dull bay edgings, 

 the coverts and inner quills marked like the interscapulars ; tail plain brown, 

 with darlier shaft lines, on the middle feathers at least, and often with obso- 

 lete wavy markings. Very constant in plumage, the chief difl'erences being 

 in the sharpness and breadth of the markings, due in part to the wear of the 

 feathers. 6-6J; wing about 2J ; tail nearly or quite 3. Eastern United 

 States ; one of our most abundant birds everywhere, and a well known 

 pleasing songster. WiLS., ii, 125, pi. 16, f. 4; Nutt., i, 486; Aud., iii, 

 147, pi. 189; Bd., 477 melodia. 



Obs. The Eastern song sparrow is simpljr one variety of a bird distributed from 

 Atlantic to Pacific, and which in the West is split into numerous geographical races, 

 some of them looking so different from tj-pical melodia that they have been con- 

 sidered as distinct species, aud even placed in other genera. This differentiation 

 affects not only the color, but the size, relative proportion of parts, and particularly 

 the shape of the bill ; and it is sometimes so great, as in case of Jf. insignis, that 

 less dissimilar looking birds are commoulj^ assigned to different genera. Neverthe- 

 less, the gradation is complete, and effected by imperceptible degrees. The follow- 

 ing varieties have been described, and may usually be recognized. 

 /•,_^ Var. FALLAX Bd., 481 ; Coop., 215. Extremely similar ; wings and tail slightly 

 longer ; paler, graj'er ; the streaks not so obviously blackish in the centre. Whole 

 of Rocky Mountains and Great Basin ; scarcelj'- distinguishable. 

 L- Var. GUTTATA Nutt., i, 2d ed. 581 ; Fringilla cinerea, Aud., iii, 145, pi. 187. 

 Darker and more rufous, the colors more blended, from indistinctness of the 

 streaks ; below, quite brownish, except on middle of belly. Pacific coast, U. S., 

 and British Columbia. 

 .J- Var. RUFiNA Bd., 480 ; Coop., 214. Similar, but larger ; color more fuliginous. 



Sitka, Alaska. 

 J^ Var. HEERMANNii Bd., 478 ; Coop., 212. Grayish, the streaks numerous, broad, 



distinct, mostly lacking pale edging. California. 

 £, Var. GOULDii Bd., 479. Similar to the last, in distinctness of the black streaks, 

 but very small, under 5 ; wing little over 2 ; tail 2^. California. Ammodromus 

 samuelis Bd., 455, pi. 71, f. 1 ; Coop., 191, is the same bird. 



