340 
FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 
front , ash gray behind.; rest of upper part olive brown, streaked on back 
with blackish brown : rump and tail plain; 
wing with two white bands; under parts 
gray; sides and flanks washed with brown. 
Young: similar, but black crown stripes 
Fig. 428. Golden-crowned Sparrow. replace d by brown streaked with black, 
and median stripe dull brownish yellow flecked or streaked with dusky, 
the ash gray wanting; upper parts washed with brownish; under parts 
soiled whitish. Male : length (skins) 5.93-7.13, wing 2.99-3.28, tail 2.89- 
3.28, bill .44- 52. Female: length (skins) 6.15-6.65, wing 2.90-3.17, tail 
2.71-3.25, bifl .45-50. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Alaska; migrates south along the Pacific coast 
to Lower California, straggling east to Nevada, Colorado, and Wisconsin. 
Nest. — In alder patches. Eggs: usually 5, colored like the more dis¬ 
tinctly spotted style of the white-crowned sparrow. 
In winter the golden-crowns are among the common birds of the 
San Francisco parks and cemeteries and are so tame they will hop 
over the grass and down the paths close to the bench on which you 
are sitting. The sparrow flock usually includes more white-crowns 
than goldens, but all are equally and delightfully familiar. In some 
of the parks the birds seem especially fond of sunning themselves 
on the budding Laurestinus bushes. 
Though the golden-crowns live mainly on seeds, you often see 
one jump up from the ground for an insect or run after one and 
swallow it as unconcernedly as if he were not supposed to be a 
vegetarian. 
In Los Angeles County, Mr. Grinnell says, they winter commonly 
from the mesas up to 5000 feet on the bushy mountain sides. 
558. Zonotrichia albicollis ( Gmel.). White-throated Sparrow. 
Adult male. — Throat pure white sharply contrasted with gray of breast; 
head striped with black and white ; superciliary yellow from bill to eyes; 
edge of wing yellow ; back and scapulars rusty brown streaked 
with blackish ; rump olivaceous or brownish. Adult female ; 
* sometimes indistinguishable from male, but usually with col¬ 
oration of head and under parts decidedly duller, crown stripe 
tinged with brown and buffy. Young in first winter: like 
Fig. 429. adult female, but duller, crown stripes browner. Young: 
throat not distinctly whitish, and stripes on head brown and buffy instead 
of black and white; yellow in front of eyes more or less distinct; under 
parts brownish white, streaked, except on belly. Male: length (skins) 
6.12-6.56, wing 2.85-3.04, tail 2.80-3.00, bill .42-.4S. Female: length 
(skins) 5.91-6.30, wing 2.74-2.88, tail 2.68-2.90, bill .44-.46. 
Remarks. — The young of albicollis can be distinguished from that of 
leucophrys by their deeper brown lateral crown stripes and more rusty 
back and wings. 
Distribution. — Breeds in Canadian and Hudsonian zones from Hudson 
Bay and Labrador south to the northern United States, chiefly east, but 
also in Montana and Wyoming ; winters to Florida and southern Texas, 
straggling west to Oregon and California. 
Nest. — On the ground or in bushes, made largely of coarse grasses, 
