552 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



585. 4. Sooty Fox Sparrow. 



Passerella iliaca fuliginosa Ridgway. 1899. 



Breeding in the coast district of southwestern British Colum- 

 bia, including Vancouver island. (Ridgway.) I have only found 

 this bird west of the Coast range in B.C. It is a common summer 

 resident on Vancouver island, where it breeds. (Fannin.) A 

 common species in spring around Victoria, V.I. A marked peculi- 

 arity of this bird is its scraping among the leaves when feeding, 

 just like a hen. While doing this it hops about with its tail elevated 

 like a wren. It was seen late in June, 1887. (Macoun.) Regular 

 summer visitor in British Columbia. (Lord.) Tolerably common 

 migrant at ChilHwack, B.C.; breeding on the summits of the Coast 

 range. (Brooks.) Seen on Sea island, near Vancouver, B.C., April 

 25th, 1894. (E. F. G. White.) 



585c. Slate-coloured Sparrow. 



Passerella iliaca schistacea (Baird) Allen. 1872. 



Quite common at Banff, Rocky mountains, in May and June, 

 1891 where they were evidently breeding; rare at Penticton, B.C., 

 in April, 1903; one specimen of this form was seen at Rossland, 

 B.C., in June, 1902; one female was shot at Revelstoke, B.C., 

 April 25th, 1890; observed near Femie, B.C., in willow thickets, 

 April, 1904; first noted at Midway, B.C., May ist, 1905, and on July 

 24th at an altitude of 6,000 feet near the Skagit river one appeared 

 to have a nest. (Spreadborough.) Taken at Nelson, on Kootenay 

 river, B.C., and two intermediates from further west. (Rhoads.) 



CCXXXI. PIPILO ViEiLLOT. 1816. 



587. Towhee. 



Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linn.) Vieill. 1824. 



Audubon, Vol. III., p. 168, states that it occurs northward to 

 Labrador. (Packard.) Accidental in New Brunswick: one shot 

 at Irishtown, May 8th, 1881. (Chamberlain.) Cap Rouge, near 

 Quebec, obtained by Mr. Nelson. (Dionne.) A few seen and one 

 taken at Ottawa in August, 1890. (F. A. Saunders.) Three or 

 four of these birds were seen by the keeper of the rifle range at 



