230 LAND BIRDS 



the winter these birds wander to the coast and the San 

 Diegan district and south through the table-lands of 

 Mexico. 



565. BLACK-CHINNED SPARROW. — Spizella 

 atrogularis. 



Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 5.50-5.75. 



Adults : Upper parts rusty brownish, narrowly streaked with black ; 



head, neck, and under parts gray, becoming white on belly and under 



tail-coverts ; chin and upper throat black ; bill pinkish. 

 Young : Similar to adults, but chin and throat gray instead of black ; 



chest indistinctly streaked. 

 Geographical Distribution : Arizona south to the southern border of the 



United States and Lower California. 

 California Breeding Range : Arid foot-hill regions of the southern Sierra 



Nevada and desert ranges. 

 Breeding Season: April and May. 

 Nest: Of grasses, on a foundation of leaves; lined with hair; usually 



placed in low bushes. 

 Eggs: 3 to 5 ; light greenish blue. Size 0.68 X 0.50. 



The Black-chinned is a common summer visitant in 

 the foot-hills of Southern California, and occasionally 

 wanders as far as Alameda and Monterey counties. It 

 haunts the grassy fields and low thickets on the edges of 

 meadows, where the clear, low trill is heard through 

 sunny hours. The nest is very like that of the Eastern 

 field sparrow in construction, but is placed in bushes 

 rather than on the ground. 



Incubation lasts twelve days, and the young remain in 

 the nest ten days longer, being fed by one parent while 

 the other anxiously tries to attract the attention of the 

 intruder to himself. Rather than betray the hiding place 



