The Bird Book Part 82

Page 357

585a. SHUMAGIN FOX SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca unalaschensis._

Range.--Shumagin Islands and the Alaska coast to Cook Inlet.

Similar to the last but paler, being one of the several recent unsatisfactory subdivisions of this genus. The nesting habits and eggs of all the varieties are like those of the common eastern form.

585b. THICK-BILLED SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca megarhyncha._

Range.--Mountains of eastern California and western Nevada; locally confined.

Entire upper parts and breast spots gray; wings and tail brown. It nests in the heaviest underbrush of the mountain sides, building on or close to the ground.

585c. SLATE-COLORED SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca schistacea._

Range.--Rocky Mountain region, breeding from Colorado to British Columbia.

This variety which is similar to, but smaller than the last, nests in thickets along the mountain streams. The eggs are like those of iliaca, but average smaller.

585d. STEPHEN'S SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca stephensi._

Range.--Breeds in the San Bernadino and San Jacinto Mts. in southern California.

Like the Thick-billed Sparrow, but bill still larger and bird slightly so.

585e. SOOTY FOX SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca fuliginosa._

Range.--Coast of Washington and British Columbia; south to California in winter.

585f. KADIAK FOX SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca insularis._

Range.--Breeding on Kadiak Island; winters south to California.

Like the last but browner above and below.

585g. TOWNSEND'S FOX SPARROW. _Pa.s.serella iliaca townsendi._

Range.--Southern coast of Alaska; winters south to California. Like the last but more rufous above.

Upperparts and tail uniform brownish umber, below heavily spotted.

586. TEXAS SPARROW. _Arremonops rufivirgatus._

Range.--Eastern Mexico and southern Texas.

This odd species has a brownish crown, olive greenish upperparts, wings and tail, and grayish white underparts. They are common resident birds along the Lower Rio Grande, being found in tangled thickets, where they nest at low elevations, making their quite bulky nests of coa.r.s.e weeds and gra.s.s and sometimes twigs, lined with finer gra.s.s and hair; they are often partially domed with an entrance on the side. Their eggs are plain white, without markings; often several broods are raised in a season and eggs may be found from May until August.

[Ill.u.s.tration 359: Fox Sparrow.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: White.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: right hand margin.]

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587. TOWHEE. _Pipilo erythrophthalmus erythrophthalmus._

Range.--North America east of the Plains, breeding from the Gulf to Manitoba.

The well known Towhee, Ground Robin or Chewink is a bird commonly met with in eastern United States; it frequents thickets, swamps and open woods where they nest generally upon the ground and sometimes in bushes near the ground. The nests are well made of gra.s.ses, lined with fine gra.s.ses and rootlets, and the eggs, which are laid in May or June, are pinkish white, generally finely sprinkled but sometimes with bold markings of light reddish brown, with great variations. Size .90 .70.

Towhees are noisy birds and at frequent intervals, while they are scratching among the leaves for their food they will stop and utter their familiar "tow-hee" or "che-wink" and then again will mount to the summit of a tree or bush and sing their sweet refrain for a long time.

587a. WHITE-EYED TOWHEE. _Pipilo erythrophthalmus alleni._

Range.--Florida and the Atlantic coast to South Carolina.

This variety is like the preceding except that the eyes are white instead of red. There is no difference between their nesting habits and eggs, except that they much more frequently, and in some localities, almost always, nest in trees.

588. ARCTIC TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus arcticus._

Range.--Great Plains, breeding from northern United States to the Saskatchewan.

This species is similar to the eastern Towhee but has the scapulars and coverts tipped with white. They nest abundantly in suitable localities in Montana and North Dakota and more commonly north of our borders. Like the eastern Towhee, they nest on the ground under the protection of overhanging bushes, the nests being made of strips of bark and gra.s.ses and lined with fine rootlets. Their three or four eggs, which are laid during May, June or July, are pinkish white, profusely speckled with reddish brown; very similar to those of the eastern Towhee. Size .92 .70.

588a. SPURRED TOWHEE. _Pipilo maculatus monta.n.u.s._

Range.--Breeds from Mexico to British Columbia, west of the Rockies.

Similar to the last but with less white on the back. The nesting habits and eggs are like those of the Towhee, but in some localities the nests are most often found in bushes above the ground.

[Ill.u.s.tration 360: Towhee or Chewink.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Purplish white.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pinkish white.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: left hand margin.]

Page 359

[Ill.u.s.tration 361: C. A. Reed.

NEST AND EGGS OF TOWHEE.]

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