370 Birds of Colorado 
the coverts edged and tipped with pale rufous, not forming a very distinct 
wing-band ; a white superciliary band, margined below by a generally 
rather ill-defined postocular black streak; below pale ashy-grey, 
whitish on the throat and under-tail-coverts, darkest on the ear-coverts ; 
iris brown, bill black, legs horny-brown. Length 5.05; wing 2.9; 
tail 2.55, culmen -40; tarsus -70. 
The female resembles the male, but often has the crown-patch 
streaked with dusky. In winter the bill is brown, palest on the lower 
mandible. Young birds have no chestnut on the crown, which is 
streaked like the back ; the lower-parts are also streaked with dusky ; 
in the fall the breast-streaks disappear, and the birds then closely 
resemble Brewer’s Sparrow; but the crown now begins to show the 
chestnut, especially at the bases of the feathers. 
Distribution.— Western North America, breeding from Alaska to the 
Mexican border and from western Kansas to the Pacific, south in 
winter to southern Mexico. 
In Colorado the Western Chipping Sparrow is a common summer 
visitor, breeding chiefly in the foothills and mountains up to about 
10,000 feet. The highest record I have met with is Ward, Boulder co., 
10,000 feet (D. Gale), but it is most commonly found between 6,000 and 
7,000 feet. It reaches Colorado Springs from the south early in April, 
and remains in flocks till the middle of May, when it moves up into the 
mountains; it goes south again in October. The earliest date of 
arrival is March 24th, latest date October 24th in El Paso co., according 
to Aiken. It is a common summer bird in Mesa co. (Rockwell). 
I have followed Ridgway in including all the Colorado Chipping 
Sparrows under the western subspecies. There is a very extensive 
series in the Aiken collection, most of which are undoubtedly the 
western form, though some appear to be somewhat intermediate ; 
but the distinctive characters of the two races—that of dimensions, 
the western race certainly averaging larger—are very fine drawn. 
Habits—The Chipping Sparrow frequents cultivated 
fields and waste-places, and is very often to be seen in 
gardens and parks near houses, and is a somewhat 
familiar and domestic bird. It gets its name from its 
sharp, characteristic ‘‘ Chip.” The nest is placed low 
down, seldom over twelve feet from the ground, in a 
thick bush ; the eggs, four or five in number, are pale 
blue, slightly spotted with reddish and purplish-brown, 
and measure ‘70 x ‘51; Scott found three nests at Twin 
Lakes (9,500 feet), one June 14th with four fresh eggs, 
