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Economic Status . The food habits of the Swamp Sparrow are not very 
different from those of other comparable Sparrows. Owing to its living 
in waste places the species is not important. 
585. Fox Sparrow (Including Slate-coloured, Shumagin, Townsend’s, and 
Sooty Fox Sparrows). PassereUa iliaca. L, 7-26. A rather large, reddish Sparrow, exhibiting, 
according to geographical range, three distinct types of coloration. West to the Rocky 
mountains (the iliaca type) : above, bright reddish brown, solid on tail and rump, but broadly 
striped on dull slaty back, hindneck, and crown: below, white, heavily spotted and 
streaked with red, like the back, on sides of throat, across breast, and on flanks. The 
centre of throat is almost free from markings and the spots tend to aggregate on the breast 
in a centre spot. West of the mountains, except the coast, we have a rich brown and 
grey bird (the schistacea type), like the last except that the reds are darkened to chocolate 
brown and there is little striping on the grey, which also suffuses largely over face. On 
the coast (the unalaschcensis type), the brown still deeper and richer, nearly or quite 
supplanting the grey, and the stripes below much more extensive, broader, and more 
coalescent. 
Distinctions. Large size for a Sparrow. East of the mountains, large amount of 
foxy red, solid on the tail and rump, heavily streaking the breast and flanks. In the interior 
of British Columbia, face, head, shoulders, and back, mostly grey ; chocolate-brown wings, 
tail, and stripes on breast and flanks. The west coast type, a solidly dark, maroon-brown 
bira, the colour only broken by more or less coalescent white flecks on foreneck and abdo- 
men. 
Field Marks. A large Sparrow with much foxy red; dull grey head and back, brown 
tail and breast-streaks; or solid dark brown with white flecks on throat and below. 
Nesting. On the ground, or in low trees or bushes. Nest of coarse grasses lined with 
finer grass, hair, moss, and feathers. 
Distribution. Northern and western North America, breeding far to the north of 
ordinary cultivation. 
SUBSPECIES. A remarkably variable species, breaking up into a number of extra- 
ordinarily distinct subspecies. Indeed, some doubt may well be expressed as to whether 
some of the differences are not fully specific. The Eastern Fox Sparrow PassereUa iliaca 
iliaca extends west to the mountains and northwest throughout the interior of Alaska. 
It is a distinctly foxy-red bird, as suggested by the vernacular name of the species. This 
form stands apart from all the rest in coloration ; and shows, at least within our borders, 
no tendency to intergrade with the next following subspecies that occupies the interior 
of central and southern British Columbia and the foothills of Alberta. The Slate-coloured 
Fox Sparrow Pasperella iliaca schistacea has grey predominating on face and back, and the 
reds darkened to brown. This bird extends south to Nevada, though some Canadian 
representatives are sometimes differentiated from it under the name of PassereUa iliaca 
altivagans. On the British Columbia and Alaskan coast, we get a Beries of subspecies of 
the unalaschcensis type, solidly maroon and brown birds with little white below. These 
are heavily feathered birdsj that appear larger than their measurements seem to warrant. 
Four subspecies are recognized in the Check-list, more by other authorities. Beginning 
with the Shumagin Fox Sparrow PassereUa iliaca unalaschcensis, of the Alaska peninsula; 
the Kadiak Fox Sparrow PassereUa iliaca insularis is next along the coast, extending 
eastward to the base of the Alaska Panhandle. Townsend’s Fox Sparrow PassereUa 
iliaca townsendi occupies the Panhandle itself, and the northern British Columbia coast; 
and the Sooty Fox Sparrow PassereUa iliaca fidiginosa, Vancouver island and closely 
adjoining Washington coast. They vary from each other slightly in colour and size details, 
but are too much alike to be satisfactorily separated without a large series of specimens 
for comparison. Any of these forms may be expected on the British Columbia coast in 
migration. The Vancouver Island bird, the Sooty Fox Sparrow, is the only one perman- 
ently resident in its breeding locality and is the darkest and most saturated in colour of 
the series. 
This Sparrow remains within the limits of civilization only for a few 
days in spring and autumn. Occasionally in spring it greets us with a 
song of full clear tone that is equalled by few other birds and rarely Bur- 
passed by any. 
Economic Status. It is with us barely long enough or in sufficient 
numbers to be of great importance to the agriculturist. It eats a little 
