405 
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 
with black; tail rufous grayish brown, the middle feathers darker along their 
shafts; throat and middle of the belly white, breast grayish, sides washed 
with pale grayish brown. Ads. in winter and Im. — Similar, but the top of 
the head streaked with black, rufous-brown, and grayish; nape less gray; 
breast washed with brownish. L., 5*89; W., 2‘34; T., 2*32; B., ’46. 
Remarks. — The underparts resemble those of some immature White- 
throated Sparrows, but the wing-bars and the yellow bend of the wing will 
always distinguish the latter. 
Range. — N. A. e. of Great Plains. Breeds in Canadian, Transition, and 
part of Upper Austral zones from w. cen. Alberta, cen. Mackenzie, cen. 
Keewatin, cen. Que., and N. F. s. to n. Nebr., n. Mo., n. Ills., W. Va. (mts.) 
and N. J. ; winters from Nebr., Ohio Valley, and Mass, (rarely) s. to the Gulf 
coast from cen. Fla. to Mex. ; accidental in Utah and Colo. 
Washington, very common T. V., Apl. 12-May 19; Sept. 28-Oct. 29; 
a few winter. Ossining, tolerably common S. R., Apl. 4-Dec. 2; a few winter. 
Cambridge, abundant S. R., Apl. 12-Nov. 10; a few winter. N. Ohio, com- 
mon T. V., Mch. 23-May 20. Glen Ellyn, tolerably common T. V., Apl. 
2-May 26; Sept. 2-Oct. 24; possibly S. R. SE. Minn., common S. R., Apl. 
5-Nov. 18. 
Nest , generally similar to that of the Song Sparrow, on the ground. Eggs , 
4-5, similar in color to those of the Song Sparrow, but the markings gener- 
ally more confluent, ‘76 x ‘57. Date , Cambridge, May 13; New Canada, 
N. S., May 19; Pewaukee, Wise., May 23; se. Minn., May 25. 
While wintering in the South, Swamp Sparrows frequently belie 
their name, and I have often found numbers of them in dry ‘old fields’ 
of broom sedge; but at the north they are more consistent, and one 
rarely sees them beyond the confines of a wet meadow, or, more prefer- 
ably, a large grassy marsh with reed-bordered streams. 
Swamp Sparrows may be distinguished from their cousins, the Song 
Sparrows, by their unstreaked breast, much darker upperparts, and 
totally different notes. Their usual call-note is a sharp cheep , not unlike 
that of the White-throated Sparrow, and quite different from the 
rather nasal chimp of the Song Sparrow. Their song is a simple, sweet, 
but somewhat monotonous tweet-tweet-tweet, repeated many times, all 
on one note, and sometimes running into a trill. 
585. Passerella iliaca iliaca ( Merr .). Fox Sparrow. Ads. — Upper- 
parts rufous-brown, the feathers margined by cinnamon-brown and without 
black; upper tail-coverts and tail bright rufous; wings margined with rufous; 
underparts heavily streaked and spotted with rufous-brown and blackish; 
middle of the belly white; lower mandible yellowish. L., 7*26; W., 3‘39; 
T., 2‘85; B., ‘50. 
Range. — N. A. Breeds in Boreal 
zones from tree limit in ne. Alaska, 
and n. Ungava s. to cen. Alberta, n. 
Man., s. Keewatin, Magdalen Islands, 
and N. F.; winters from lower Ohio 
and Potomac valleys (occasionally 
further n.) to cen. Tex. and n. Fla.; 
casual on the coast of s. Alaska and in 
Calif. 
Washington, very abundant T. V., 
Mch. 13-May 11; Oct. 23-Nov. 15; 
a few winter. Ossining, tolerably com- 
mon T. V., Mch. 4- Apl. 20; Oct. 14- 
Nov. 28. Cambridge, abundant T. V., 
Fig. 108. Fox Sparrow. (Natural size.) 
