Mar., 1912 
PASSERELLA STEPHENSI IN MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 
65 
Upon ascertaining this we compared our heavily billed winter visitants with 
those in our own collection which were now properly identified, and while the 
resemblance to stephensi came into mind, it was dismissed in accordance with 
the rule that migrating birds winter south of their breeding grounds (with one or 
two exceptions, apparently). 
Hence we came to the conclusion for the moment that there must be an undis- 
covered form breeding somewhere to the north of us. Our breeding birds from 
the Sierras were taken east of us and were true megarhyncha, as above mentioned. 
So we could not look in that direction for anything to correspond. Now, after 
taking these to Berkeley and going over them most carefully with Mr. Grinnell, 
we are compelled to place them with stephensi, this, so far as at present knowm, 
making another exception to the rule cited above. 
The accompanying photograph is intended to show the similarity of the 
Fig. 21. WINTER HOME OF STEPHENS FOX SPARROW IN MARIN COUNTY, 
CALIFORNIA. ROUGH HILLS COVERED WITH DWARFED CYPRESS 
■AND CEANOTHUS AND MANZANITA BRUSH. 
PHOTO BY JOS. MAILLIARD 
bills of stephensi taken on their breeding grounds and one of the examples from 
Marin County. Also it shows the difference in size between stephensi and megar- 
hyncha. No. 1 was taken on July 15, 1905, by Mr. Grinnell, at an altitude of 
7,500 feet, in the San Bernardino Mountains, and is in rather worn plumage, 
but is stephensi without any manner of doubt. No. 2, taken by W. P. Taylor, 
July 21, 1911, also in worn plumage, comes from an altitude of 9,000 feet in the 
mountains of southern Tulare County, where these birds were found breeding 
on the west side of the Sierras, and which constitutes the northernmost breed- 
ing station of stephensi. No. 3 is from Marin County, and is in fresh fall plumage. 
These three specimens were selected for photographing on account of the 
bills being very nearly the same size, and the makeup of the skins being such 
that the bills lie in almost the same position in all. No. 3 I have fair reason to 
