s
are pure white and of the same size as those of the last.

580c. LAGUNA SPARROW. _Aimophila ruficeps sororia._

Range.--Mountains of southern Lower California.

The nests and eggs of this very similar variety to _ruficeps_ proper are
not likely to differ in any particular from those of that species.

[Illustration 355: White.]
[Illustration: Bluish white.]
[Illustration: 579--580.]
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]

Page 354

581. SONG SPARROW. _Melospiza melodia melodia_.

Range.--North America, east of the Plains, breeding from Virginia to
Manitoba and New Brunswick, and wintering chiefly in the southern half
of the United States.

A favorite and one of the most abundant in all sections of the east.
They are sweet and persistent songsters and frequent side hills,
pastures, roadsides, gardens and dooryards if English Sparrows be not
present. They nest indifferently upon the ground or in bushes, generally
artfully concealing the nest by drooping leaves; it is made of grass and
weed stems, lined with fine grass or, occasionally, horse hair. As is
usual in the case of birds that abound about habitations they frequently
choose odd nesting sites. They lay two and sometimes three sets of eggs
a season, from May to August, the eggs being three to five in number and
white or greenish white, marked, spotted, blotched or splashed in
endless variety of pattern and intensity, with many shades of brown;
some eggs are very heavily blotched so as to wholly obscure the ground
color while others are specked very sparingly. They measure .80 x .60
with great variations.

581a. DESERT SONG SPARROW. _Melospiza melodia fallax_.

Range.--Desert regions of southern Nevada, Arizona and southeastern
California. The eggs of this very pale form are the same as those of the
last.

581b. MOUNTAIN SONG SPARROW. _Melospiza melodia montana_.

Range.--Rockies and the Great Basin from Oregon and Montana southward.

This variety is paler than the Song Sparrow but darker than _fallax_.
Eggs the same.

581c. HEERMAN'S SONG SPARROW. _Melospiza melodia heermanni_.

Range.--California, west of the Sierra Nevadas.

Similar to _melodia_ but with less brown and the markings blacker and
more distinct. The nesting habits are the same and the eggs similar to
large dark specimens of the eastern Song Sparrow. Size .85 x .62.

581d. SAMUELS SONG SPARROW. _Melospiza melodia samuelis_.

Range.--Coast regions o