730 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
large. Adults: Entire uppcrparts slaty gray except for russet or dark brown on upper 
tail coverts, tail, and wings; underparts white, breast spotted and streaked with 
brown, usually with central blotch on breast. Young: Similar to adults but gray of 
upperparts tinged with brown, wings with indistinct rusty bars, underparts duller, 
with markings less sharply defined. 
Range. —Breeds in Transition Zone from southeastern British Columbia and 
western Montana south to mountains of central Colorado; winters south through 
interior and southern California, Arizona (rare), and New Mexico east to Kansas. 
State Records. —The breeding range of the Slate colored Fox Sparrow extends 
south to Central Colorado. No specimens are on record and no authentic records 
have been found for New Mexico, but it has been reported seen and may occur in 
fall, winter, and spring; in which case it probably does not go south of the middle 
parts of the State.—W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. —Usually less than three feet from the ground; bulky and well made of 
plant fibers, willow bark, and grass, lined with horsehair. Eggs; Usually 4, green or 
olive-buff, marked with purple and browns. 
Food. —Principally insects and their larvae found in leaf mold. 
General Habits. —The Fox Sparrows of various species with their 
distinct gray and foxy brown plumage are our largest Sparrows and are 
found in the willows of the bottoms and the chaparral thickets of the 
mountain sides, where their rich musical songs ring out loud and clear 
to the enjoyment of all with listening ears. 
In the Chuska Mountains near Cottonwood Pass, in a small meadow 
at 8,500 feet, and along the banks of a small stream which ran along 
the foot of a cold Canadian slope, Mr. Birdseye found these boreal birds 
abundant in October; but from their habit of exploring the wet meadows, 
several were unfortunately caught in traps set for shrews and red- 
backed mice. 
Additional Literature.—Saunders, A. A., Condor, XII, 80, 1910 (song).l 
SCOTT SPARROW: Aimophila ruficeps scotti (Sennett) 
Description. — Male: Length (skins) 5.3-6.1 inches, wing 2.5-2.S, tail 2.6-2.9, 
bill .4-5. Female: Length (skins) 5.3-5.5 inches, wing 2.4-2.5, tail 2.3-2.7, bill 
.4-.5. Adults: Crown chiefly reddish brown , rest of upperparts gray, broadly streaked 
with chestnut; sides of head and neck and most of underparts light brown, tinged with 
huffy. In winter the color of the upperparts is obscured by the grayish edges of the 
feathers. Young: Streaked. 
Range. —-Upper Sonoran Zone in Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Texas 
south to Durango, Chihuahua, and Sonora. Recorded from Colorado. 
State Records. —The Scott Sparrow is quite widely distributed in southwestern 
New Mexico but is nowhere abundant. It ranges north to Glenwood, 5,000 feet, 
to the head of the Mimbres River, 6,500 feet (Bailey), and to the San Andres Moun¬ 
tains near Salinas Peak (Gaut). It was found in the Big Hatchet Mountains from 
about 5,500 feet to the summit at 8,000 feet the summer of 1908, and at about 5,500 
feet in the Cloverdale, San Luis, and Florida Mountains (Goldman). [In June and 
July, 1926, it was quite common on the brushy slopes of the semi-desert mountain 
ranges in Hidalgo and Grant Counties, generally from 6,500 to 7,500 feet (Ligon).] 
It is common in the mountains of western Texas whence it ranges to New Mexico 
