1912] Taylor: Birds and Reptiles of Northern Nevada. 397 



The song is imperfectly represented by the following sylla- 

 bles, "queet! queet! toodle-oodle-oodle-oodle ! " with a rising in- 

 flection on the "queets." In a variation of the song a note is 

 apparent resembling somewhat a call of the western lark sparrow. 



Two nests were found, the first one containing three eggs, on 

 July 29 in Virgin Valley. After the sitting bird was flushed, 

 it was noted that both parents were present in the vicinity. The 

 bird which had been frightened from the nest was very persistent 

 in returning thereto, but finally left and did not come back. 



The second nest was found on a ridge (5000 feet) near Big 

 Creek Ranch. Low ' ' chips ' ' were heard which were finally traced 

 to a desert sparrow which had its beak full of insects and was 

 perching on a rock. Presently the nest was found in a low sage- 

 bush by the boulder. The structure was very frail and con- 

 tained three young in natal down. Dried grass stems and light 

 sage bark constituted the building materials, while a small 

 amount of cowhair and some other fine substance which I was 

 unable to identify made up the lining. The cavity was 44 mm. 

 (1% inches) in diameter and 25 mm. (1 inch) deep. Both 

 parents were noted in the vicinity. 



Amphispiza nevadensis nevadensis (Ridgway) 

 Nevada Sage Sparrow 



Distribution. — Noted commonly on the broad flats of the 

 desert from Winnemucea to Quinn River Crossing, in much the 

 same habitat as that in which the Brewer sparrow was found. 

 The sage sparrow, however, was not found above an altitude of 

 6000 feet in the mountains, while Spizella breiceri ranged to 

 considerably greater elevations along tongues of sagebrush. 

 Ridgway (1877, p. 476) records the species as generally being 

 the most abundant bird in the moister valleys of the Great Basin 

 where the growth is most thrifty. At no locality visited by us 

 did the sage sparrow approach the Brewer sparrow in point of 

 numbers. 



Birds of every species were less common in the vicinity of 

 Alder Creek Ranch than at any other point visited, not even 

 excepting the head of Big Creek. No sage sparrows were ob- 

 served on the western side of the mountains, though the proba- 



