128 



KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



tail feathers and the bases of the others are dark in color, 

 forming a decided contrast to the ashy-brown back and white 

 tips to the under tail feathers. There are black streaks on the 

 side of throat and in the center of the breast. 



This is a fine song bird of the middle west, with notes which 

 somewhat resemble those of the song sparrow. When singing, 

 it usually takes some elevated position on fence or tree. 



Length, 6,; ; wing, ^ (3^-3|) ; tail, 2| ; culmen. 



Tlie Jlississippi 



Valley region to the Plains ; breeding from Texas to Manitoba; accidental 

 on the Atlantic coast. 



28. Harris's Sparrow (553. Zonotrichia qnerula). — A large, 

 beautiful, western, streaked, reddish-colored sparrow, with 



heavy brownish 

 markings on the 

 white of the breast 

 and sides. The mfAle 

 when breeding has 

 the head jet black ex- 

 cepting the cheeks, 

 which are ash- 

 colored ; the throat 

 and breast patch are 

 also black. The 

 female (also the male 

 out of season) has the head not especially marked and the 

 breast patch brownish. There is no yellow anywhere, and 

 the two white wing bars are distinct. This is the largest spar- 

 row of the genus (Zonotrirhin), and has been found from 

 Illinois westward, mainly on the prairies and bushy bottom 

 lands. (Black-hooded Sparrow.) 



Length, 7; ; wing, o', (3J-3J) ; tail, SI; tarsus, 1; culmen, nearly 1. 

 Interior United States from Illinois to Kansas, and Texas to Manitoba. 



29. White-crowned Sparrow (554. Zonotrichia lencophriis). — A 

 rare, beautiful, large, brownish sparrow, with the head striped 

 black and white (three white and four black stripes), and the 

 lower parts gray with some buff on the sides. There are two 



Harris's Sparrow 



