872 
SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PASSEBES— OSCINES. 
out its range, wintering nearly throughout ; one of the common winter sparrows of the Middle 
States. A very abundant bird everywhere in shrubbery and tangle, garden, orchard, and park, 
as well as swamp and brake. A hearty, sunny songster, whose quivering pipe is often tuned 
to the most dreary scenes ; the limpid notes being one of the few snatches of bird melody that 
enlivens winter. Nesting various, in a bush near the ground, or a grass tuft, or on the ground : 
eggs 4-6, 0.75-0.85 x 0.55-0.60, greenish or grayish-white, endlessly varied with browns, from 
reddish to chocolate as surface -markings, and lavender or purplish shell-markings, either 
speckled, blotched, or clouded : no general effect describable in few words. Two or three 
broods may be reared. 
245. M. f. fal'lax. (Lat. fallax, fallacious, deceitful : well named.) Gray Song Sparrow. 
Extremely similar ; the first and least departure from fasciata, and scarcely distinguishable ; 
tail rather longer ; tone of upper parts paler, 
grayer ; the streaks not so obviously blackish 
in the centre and with less rufous ; obsolete 
on rump. Southern Rocky Mt. region and 
Great Basin. 
248. M. f. heer'manni. (To Dr. A. L. Heer- 
mann.) Heermann's Song Sparrow^. Sim- 
ilar : tone of upper parts grayish, the streaks 
numerous, broad, distinct, with little rufous 
and mostly lacking pale edging, obsolete on 
the rump. Size of fasciata. California. 
249. M. f. samue'lis. (To E. Samuels.) Samuels' 
Song Sparrow. Similar to the last, in dis- 
tinctness of the black streaks, which are not 
obsolete on rump } tone of upper parts ashy- 
gray. Very small, scarcely 5.00; wing 2.00; 
tail 2.30. California coast. 
246. M. f. gutta'ta. (Lat. guttata, marked with 
drop-hke spots.) Oregon Song Sparrow. 
Decidedly different. The streaking diffuse, 
the streaks above and below dark rufous- 
broAvn, without black centres or pale edges. 
Coloration blended, the general tone ruddy; 
under parts extensively shaded with brownish, except on belly. About the size of fasciata, 
or rather larger. Pacific coast, U. S. and British Columbia. This form was recognized as dis- 
tinct by Audubon, who wrongly called it Fringilla cinerea Gm. ; and by Nuttall, who named 
it F. guttata, and compared it with the fox sparrow, from its resemblance in color to Passerella 
iliaca. 
247. M. f. rufi'na. (Lat. rufina, reddish.) Rusty Song Sparrow. Quite like guttata; larger 
and darker ; tone of upper parts smoky-broAvn, the streaking very dark. Wing and tail about 
3.00. Pacific coast, British Columbia and northward. (Combined by Baird with the last, 
under name of M. rufina.') 
250. M. cine'rea. (Lat. cinerea, ashy.) Cinereous Song Sparrow. Kadiak Song Sparrow. 
Peculiar in size, shape, and color. Above, brownish slate-color, more rufous on wings, the 
streaking broad and blended, very dark. Below, plumbeous-whitish, shaded with brown on 
sides, the streaks broad, diffuse, and dark. Spring and fall plumages differ much, but the bird 
may be recognized by its great size. Length about 7-00 ; wing 3.30 ; tail 3.50 ; bill very long, 
slender for its length; culmen about 0.60; depth at base 0.30. Kadiak, Alaska; Aleutian 
Islands. {Fringilla cinerea Gm. M. imignis Bd.) 
r 
Fig 234. 
Nichols sc. ) 
Song Sparrow, reduced. (Sheppard del. 
