338 
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 
The habits of the Harris sparrow are largely common to those of 
the genus. In describing them Colonel Goss says: “The birds 
inhabit the thickets bordering streams and the edges of low wood¬ 
lands. They are usually met with in small flocks. A favorite resort 
is in and about the brush heaps, where the land is being cleared. 
They seldom mount high in the trees, but keep near the ground, 
upon which they hunt and scratch among the leaves for seeds and 
insect life. 
“ They commence singing early in the spring, and upon warm, 
sunshiny days their song can be heard almost continually, as one 
after the other pours forth its pleasing, plaintive, whistling notes, in 
musical tone much like the white-throated sparrow, but delivered 
in a widely different song.” Prof. Cooke says that in addition to 
their albicollis whistle they have a ‘queer, chuckling note.’ (See 
Cooke on “ Distribution and Migration of Zonotrichia querula,” 
The Auk, i. 332.) 
564. Zonotrichia leucophrys ( Forst .). White-crowned Spar¬ 
row. 
Adult male. — Top and sides of head striped with black and white, white 
median stripe usually as wide as 
adjoining black stripes; lores black , 
white superciliary stripe not extend¬ 
ing forward of eye; edge of wing 
white ; under parts plain gray ; back 
with fore parts gray; rump brown. 
Adult female: like male and some¬ 
times indistinguishable, but usually 
with median crown stripe narrower 
and grayer. Young: like adults, but 
head stripes brown and buffy instead 
of black and white; under parts 
buffy, and chest, sides of throat, and 
sides streaked. Male: length (skins) 
5.84-6.74, wing 2.98-3.28, tail 2.68- 
3.23, bill .43-.47. Female: length 
(skins) 6.00-6.63, wing 2.89-3.17, tail 
2.69-3.00, bill .41-47. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Upper 
Canadian zone in the United States 
and Canada, from Quebec and Labra¬ 
dor north to Hudson Bay and Green¬ 
land and throughout most of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, 
south to New Mexico and Arizona; winters south through the United 
States and Lower California to Guanajuato, Mexico. 
Nest. — On or near ground, in sub-alpine meadows, often in willows 
along streams, made of fine twigs, rootlets, and grasses. Eggs: 3 to 5, 
pale greenish blue, varying to brownish, spotted with reddish brown. 
Food. — Caterpillars, ants, wasps, and weed seed, including that of 
Johnson grass and ragweed. 
The white-crowned sparrow is preeminently the sparrow of the 
