Mountain Song-Sparrow 387 
Description.—Male—Above brown, rich umber on the crown, which 
has a median stripe of ashy-grey ; greyer on the back; paler umber 
on the wings and tail ; the crown narrowly, the back broadly streaked 
with dusky brown ; ear-coverts and a superciliary streak grey, separated 
by a brown postocular line ; below white, the breast, malar region and 
flanks marked with wedge-shaped streaks of brown ; in the middle of 
the breast the spots forming an irregular patch ; iris brown, bill dusky, 
base of the lower mandible paler; legs pale brown. Length 5-90; 
wing 2-85 ; tail 2-80; culmen -50; tarsus -85. 
The sexes are alike, the female averaging slightly smaller ; young 
birds are very much like the adults but with greyish-white under-parts ; 
autumn birds are browner and the markings more diffused. 
Distribution.—The Rocky Mountains region of the United States, 
breeding from Oregon and Montana southwards to Colorado, further 
south in winter to northern Mexico. 
In Colorado the Song-Sparrow is a fairly common resident, breeding 
chiefly in the mountains at moderate elevations not exceeding 8,000 
feet, while a fair number find winter-quarters in the foothills and at 
lower levels in sheltered spots. Richards saw a flock of about a hundred 
at Littleton near Denver on Christmas Day, and there are examples 
from El Paso co. in the Aiken collection taken every month from 
November to May. The migrants from the south arrive towards 
the end of March, and fresh eggs can be found about the end 
of May. 
Other localities are : Estes Park (Kellogg), Blue River, Summit co., 
breeding at 7,000 feet, July 5th (Carter) ; Grand and Routt cos. (Warren), 
Buena Vista, 7,960 feet (Keyser), Barr Lakes, summer and winter 
(Hersey & Rockwell), South Park, breeding (Allen), Gunnison co., 
eggs, June 20th (Warren), Pueblo (Beckham), Salida, breeding (Frey), 
Fort Garland (Henshaw), Mesa co., common (Rockwell), and Fort 
Lewis (Gilman). 
Habits.—More familiar perhaps in the east than in 
the west, the Song-Sparrow is a tuneful bird, enlivening 
the shrubbery and thicket with his cheerful note. In 
Colorado it is chiefly found among the bushes and in 
the meadows along the river valleys, and is not specially 
common, at least near Colorado Springs. The nest 
may be placed on the ground under the shelter of 
a grass tuft or bush, or sometimes on a low branch 
of a tree; it is constructed of coarse grasses and 
lined with finer, and sometimes a few hairs; the 
BB 2 
