The Song Sparrows 



and east well into the Sierra foothills, intergrading indeterminably with mailliardi 

 on the north; may retire partially and irregularly south in winter, but probably not 

 to Nevada. 



Authorities. — Baird, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., vol. ix., 1858, p. 478 (Tejon 

 Valley; orig. desc); Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Pub. Zool., vol. v., 1909, p. 266 (distr.; 

 crit.) ; ibid., Condor, vol. xiii., 1911, p. no (distr., habits, etc.);Beal, U. S. Dept. Agric, 

 Biol. Surv. Bull., no. 34, 1910, p. 84 (food); Swarth, Condor, vol. xiii, 191 1, pp. 161, 

 163 (distr.). 



HEERM ANN'S Song Sparrow is characteristically, though not 

 exclusively, a dweller in cattails. The flooded areas tributary to the 

 San Joaquin River afford abundant cover of this special sort, and Melo- 

 spiza is as much a bird of the reeds as is Agelaius or Botaurus. It is 

 always good fun to bury one's self in the heart of the reeds, then turn 

 loose the distress notes known as "screeping," the master call of the 

 winged wild. Song Sparrows are the first to respond. From one to 

 a dozen will gather within a minute, peeping, prying, dashing, searching, 

 anxious for the welfare of their little ones, or merely curious as to the 

 source of the strange noise. And always they scold — that, at least, 

 is safe — tswewp, squib, or tsirb. The note is as definite as a dinner bell; 

 but no human lips can pronounce it. Frowsy females stop to upbraid 

 the stranger, although undelivered packages of worms muffle their 

 voices (goop, goop, is neither dignified nor intimidating) ; less ruffled 

 fathers grasp a cattail firmly in both feet, and speculate intently upon 

 the intruder's identity and intentions. The sound of infantile slaughter 

 seems to proceed from those lips kissing a hand ; but no slaughter results. 

 Perhaps he is calling the cows — or perhaps he is not quite right in the 

 head. It is evidently a false alarm, and we might as well go back to 

 bug-catching. And so the little people of the green forest steal away 

 again, disappointed or amused, according to their wont. 



No. 62n Mailliard's Song Sparrow 



A. O. U. No. 581c, part. Melospiza melodia mailliardi Grinnell. 



Synonym. — Modesto Song Sparrow. 



Description. — Very similar to M. m. heermanni, but slightly darker, com- 

 parable to M. m. maxillaris in this respect. Proportions of bill as in heermanni. A 

 very "light" form which no one but a "speciation specialist" could discern. 



Range (Wholly within California). — "Common resident in the vicinity of 

 the confluence of the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers, Stanislaus County, and thence 

 north at least to Tracy Lake, San Joaquin County." — Grinnell. 



Authority. — Grinnell, Univ. Calif. Pub. Zool., vol. vii., 191 1, p. 197 (near 

 Modesto; orig. desc); ibid., Condor, vol. xiii., 1911, p. no (distr.). 



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