. Handbook of birds of the western United States including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . le: length (skins) , wing , tail , bill . Female: length (skins) ,wing ,tail , biU ,34-36. Distribution. — Breeds in Transition zonesagebrush from British Columbia south to ^ southern Arizona, and from western Nebraska and western Texas to thePacific coast; south in winter along the western border of the Mexicantablelands. Nest. — In sagebrush, made of fine grass stems and leaves, lined withlong horse
. Handbook of birds of the western United States including the great plains, great basin, Pacific slope, and lower Rio Grande valley . le: length (skins) , wing , tail , bill . Female: length (skins) ,wing ,tail , biU ,34-36. Distribution. — Breeds in Transition zonesagebrush from British Columbia south to ^ southern Arizona, and from western Nebraska and western Texas to thePacific coast; south in winter along the western border of the Mexicantablelands. Nest. — In sagebrush, made of fine grass stems and leaves, lined withlong horsehairs. Eggs : usually 4, and generally like those of the clay-colored sparrow, but more distinctly marked. The Brewer sparrow, known locally as the sagebrush chippie, ismarked down as an arid transition species, and, true to his zonalcolors, if any arid transition sagebrush strays to the sunny side of ahigh mountain ridge he will appear there with it, though his normalhome is in the bottom of a desert. We once found him singing at8400 feet on the snowy crest of the Sierra, but on the sunny slopebelow was the inevitable 344 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. When among its favorite bushes the small sparrow is hard to see,for its quick darting flight ends on the earth and it runs over theground like a mouse. The best view you can get of it is when itmounts a bush and throws up its finely striped head to sing. Andwhat an odd little song it gives ! It has the metallic, insect-likequality of a marsh wrens song, and something the jingle of acanarys, but though unmusical the ditty is so cheery and bright asto be distinctly pleasing. The sparrows morning and evening choruses are especially interest-ing, the evening the more so perhaps when the birds are feeding-young, as they have more time when their broods are attended tofor the night. I heard the chorus for the first time in Sierra Valley,California, when we rode in through the sagebrush and camped onthe edge of the pines just at su
Size: 1902px × 1313px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidhandbook, booksubjectbirds
