The Lark Sparrow is not uncommon in Coahuila. Miller (1955a:176) saw one male, "apparently on a breeding territory, on April 27 in an open, rather barren desert flat adjoining the lower part of Boquillas wash at 4600 feet." He reported that Marsh took a young of the year, still largely in juvenile plumage, on September 6 in the Sierra del Carmen. Amadon and Phillips (1947:580) remarked that Lark Sparrows were common "about Las Delicias" after August 18. Findley saw Lark Sparrows 2 mi. W Jiménez on June 19, 1952, and 2 mi. S and 11 mi. E Nava on June 15, 1952. Dickerman saw Lark Sparrows at San Marcos on May 4, 1954. The pale and narrowly streaked upperparts of No. 32156 are typical forC. g. strigatus. The size of the testes (9×4 mm.) of No. 32156 and the date (June 18) on which it was obtained suggest breeding by the Lark Sparrow in northeastern Coahuila.
*Aimophila ruficeps tenuirostrisBurleigh and Lowery.—This subspecies of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is resident in the northern part of Coahuila. Miller (1955a:176) remarked that the species "ranged up to 7000 feet on open south-facing slopes within the oak belt" of the Sierra del Carmen. Specimens collected by him showed no approach toboucardiof southern México and seem to be closest totenuirostris. Miller referred the specimen that Marsh and Stevenson (1938:287) took on August 22 in Chuperosa Canyon totenuirostrisrather thanboucardi. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:376) listedA. r. tenuirostrisfrom 50 mi. S Monclova on November 8 and 10.
*Aimophila ruficeps boucardi(Sclater).—This subspecies of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is common in southern Coahuila. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:208) indicated thatA. r. boucardiwas common throughout the mountainous areas and to some extent in the arroyos of the open desert country of southeastern Coahuila. Sutton and Burleigh (1939a:46) took a femaleA. r. boucardi"near Diamante Pass." Ridgway (1901:252) listedA. r. boucardifrom Carneros.A. r. tenuirostrisandboucardiseem to intergrade in central and even southern Coahuila. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:376) recorded intermediate populations of the Rufous-crowned Sparrow from 12 mi. W Saltillo.
*Aimophila cassinii(Woodhouse).—Specimens examined:total 2: ♂ 32157 from 9 mi. S, 11 mi. E Sabinas, June 14, 1952; and ♂ 32158 from 18 mi. S, 14 mi. E Tanque Alvarez, 4000 ft., July 6, 1952.
Cassin's Sparrow seems to be common in Coahuila. The AOU Check-list Committee (1957:603) listedA. cassiniifrom 10 mi. E Saltillo. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:378-379) recorded Cassin's Sparrow from Sabinas, on April 25; from 25 mi. SW Monclova, on November 20; from 12 mi. W Saltillo, on September 28; and from 10 mi. NE Saltillo, on July 3. These authors stated that Cassin's Sparrow was breeding 10 mi. NE Saltillo. The sizes of the testes (5×3 mm.; 7×5 mm.) of Nos. 32157-32158, respectively, and the dates (June 14, July 6) on which they were obtained are additional evidence of breeding by Cassin's Sparrow in Coahuila.
*Amphispiza bilineata bilineata(Cassin).—Specimens examined:total 5: ♂ 32159 and ♀ 32163 from 2 mi. W Jiménez, 850 ft., June 20, 1952; ♂ 32160 from 8 mi. N, 2 mi. W Piedras Negras, June 18, 1952; ♂ 32161 and sex ? 32162 from 5 mi. N, 19 mi. W Cuatro Ciénegas, 3250 ft., July 5, 1952.
The Black-throated Sparrow is common in Coahuila. Typical representatives ofA. b. bilineataoccur in eastern Coahuila. The center of the State is occupied by intergrades betweenA. b. bilineata,opuntia, andgrisea. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:381) reportedA. b. bilineatafrom the "Saltillo area." Hellmayr (1938:539) recordedA. b. bilineatafrom Sabinas. The sizes (13, 14 mm.) of the white spot on the lateral tail feathers of Nos. 32163 and 32160, respectively, suggestA. b. bilineata. The short wing (61-64.5 mm.) and the lighter and browner color of the backs of Nos. 32163, 32160, and 32161 are suggestive ofA. b. bilineata. Nevertheless, the size (8 mm.) of the white spot on the lateral tail feather of No. 32161 indicates intergradation withA. b. opuntia.
The sizes of the testes (6×4 mm.; 8 mm.) of Nos. 32160 and 32161, the size of the largest ovum (2 mm. in diameter) of No. 32163, and the presence of the juveniles from 2 mi. W Jiménez and 5 mi. N and 19 mi. W Cuatro Ciénegas indicate breeding byA. b. bilineatain Coahuila.
*Amphispiza bilineata opuntiaBurleigh and Lowery.—Specimens examined:total 2: ♀ 31106 from 10 mi. S, 5 mi. E Boquillas, 1500 ft., March 3, 1952; weight, 12.3 gms.; and ♂ 31108 from 35 mi. S, 14 mi. E Boquillas, 2350 ft., March 12, 1952.
This subspecies of the Black-throated Sparrow occurs in northwestern Coahuila. Miller (1955a:176) stated that the Black-throated Sparrow was moderately common in the open desert scrub at the base of the Sierra del Carmen below 4800 feet. He said that the series of Black-throated Sparrows from the Sierra del Carmen "resembles most the raceopuntiaof western Texas ... but shows some intergradation towardgriseaof southern Coahuila and towardA. b. bilineataof eastern Coahuila." He remarked also that the specimen from Jardín del Sur, which Marsh and Stevenson (1938:287) reported asA. b. grisea, was in extremely worn, dirty summer plumage and contributed nothing reliable to racial determination.
*Amphispiza bilineata griseaNelson.—Specimen examined:one, ♂ 31665, from the north foot of Sierra Guadalupe (=10 mi. S, 5 mi. W General Cepeda), 6500 ft., April 25, 1953.
A. b. griseais the subspecies of Black-throated Sparrow in southern Coahuila. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:208) saw this sparrow "frequently on the arid plateau around Saltillo" and obtained specimens there that were identified asA. b. grisea. Amadon and Phillips (1947:581) saw individuals on August 8 and 28 that were feeding "fledged young near Saltillo." The size of its wing (68.5 mm.), the slaty color of its back, and the size (8 mm.) of the white spot on its lateral tail feather suggest that No. 31665 is characteristic ofA. b. grisea. The size of the testes (4.5×3 mm.) of No. 31665 indicates thatA. b. griseamay breed in southern Coahuila.
*Junco phaeonotus palliatusRidgway.—Specimens examined:total 3: ♂ 35402 (skeleton only) from 13 mi. E San Antonio de las Alazanas, 9345 ft., April 10, 1954; ♀ 33226 (skeleton only) from 13 mi. E San Antonio de las Alazanas, 9950 ft., July 6, 1955; and ♂ 31633 from Mesa de Tablas, 8600 ft., January 16, 1954, weight, 22 gms.
In Coahuila the Mexican Junco seems to be common. Miller (1955a:177) found it in the conifers of the upper Corte Madera drainage at 7500 feet and up to 8800 feet on Loomis Peak in the Sierra del Carmen. Marsh and Stevenson (1938:287) took an adult in Vivoras Canyon on August 14 in the Sierra del Carmen. Sutton and Burleigh (1939a:46) found small flocks at Diamante Pass in March. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:208-209) notedJ. p. palliatusas a common bird of the mountain slopes above an elevation of about 7000 feet in southeastern Coahuila, and obtained specimens at Diamante Pass. Ridgway (1901:300) recordedJ. p. phaeonotusfrom Sierra Encarnación. His record should be ofJ. p. palliatusas indicated by Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:386). Dickerman saw Mexican Juncos in the Sierra de la Madera on December 13, 1953.
No. 31633 shows no sign of intergrading withJ. p. phaeonotusto the south. The outermost rectrix of No. 31633 is wholly white; the second rectrix is nearly as white. No. 31633 is paler than representatives ofJ. p. phaeonotusfrom the southern part of the Central Plateau of México.
Spizella passerina arizonaeCoues.—Specimens examined:total 4: ♂ 31110 from the Río Grande (=17 mi. S Dryden, Terrell Co., Texas, in Coahuila), 600 ft., March 18, 1952, weight, 10.7 gms. ♂ 31111 and ♀ 31112 from 4 mi. W Hacienda La Mariposa, 2300 ft., March 24, 1952, weights, 11.0, 11.7 gms.; and ♂ 31666 from the north foot of Sierra Guadalupe (=10 mi. S, 5 mi. W General Cepeda), 6400 ft., April 19, 1953, weight, 14.0 gms.
The Chipping Sparrow is a common spring and possibly fall migrant in Coahuila. Miller (1955a:177) noted small flocks from April 21 to 27 in the Sierra del Carmen where specimens were taken. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:209) indicated thatS. p. arizonaewas "quite common and of general distribution" at Saltillo and Diamante Pass and remarked that specimens were taken at these localities in April. Amadon and Phillips (1947:581) took two Chipping Sparrows "near Las Delicias on August 17." Dickerman saw individuals in the Sierra del Pino on May 12, 1954, and at San Marcos on May 4, 1954. Our specimens, which are typical representatives ofS. p. arizonae, are pale; the ground color of their backs is grayish buff.
Spizella pallida(Swainson).—The Clay-colored Sparrow is a migrant or winter visitant in Coahuila. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:209) saw "large flocks of sparrows, mostly of this species, ... on frequent occasions in the cultivated fields and orchards on the outskirts of Saltillo." Four specimens were taken by Burleigh and Lowery (loc. cit.) on April 19 and 20 at Saltillo.
Spizella breweri breweriCassin.—Specimens examined:total 2: ♀ 31115 from the Río Grande (=17 mi. S Dryden, Terrell Co., Texas, in Coahuila), 600 ft., March 18, 1952, weight, 8.2 gms.; and ♂ 31114 from 28 mi. S, 11 mi. E Boquillas, 2000 ft., March 12, 1952, weight, 9.7 gms.
Brewer's Sparrow is probably a winter resident in much of Coahuila. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:389) recordedS. b. brewerifrom 25 mi. NW Monclova on November 20 and from 8 mi. S Cuatro Ciénegas on November 15. The only definite records obtained by Burleigh and Lowery (1942:209) ofS. b. breweriare those of a female and a male taken "near Saltillo" on April 16 and 18. The size of the dorsal area of sandy buff with narrow streakings of Nos. 31114-31115 suggestsS. b. breweri.
Spizella pusilla arenaceaChadbourne.—Specimen examined:one, ♂ 31116, from 4 mi. W Hacienda La Mariposa, 2300 ft., March 24, 1952, weight, 13.1 gms.
The Field Sparrow is an uncommon spring and probably fall migrant in Coahuila. Other than No. 31116,S. p. arenaceahas only been recorded from Sabinas in March, when three specimens were obtained (Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore, 1957:390). The coloration of No. 31116 is much grayer and the black streaks on its back are much narrower than on typical representatives ofS. p. pusilla.
**Spizella wortheni wortheniRidgway.—The single specimen of Worthen's Sparrow obtained by Burleigh and Lowery (1942:209) "just outside the limits of Saltillo on April 16" represents the only record of occurrence of this species in Coahuila.
**Spizella atrogularis atrogularis(Cabanis).—Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:391) remarked that the Black-chinned Sparrow is a common resident of the Central Plateau from Durango and southern Coahuila southward. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:212) noted the species only at the foot of the mountains of southeastern Coahuila where, at 6000 feet, scattered pairs were found. Miller (1955a:177) observed a male on April 23 on a slope at the mouth of Boquillas Canyon of the Sierra del Carmen; he presumed it to be a transient.
Zonotrichia leucophrys leucophrys(Forster).—Specimen examined:one, ♂ 30243, from 1 mi. SW San Pedro de las Colonias, 3700 ft., February 8, 1951.
The White-crowned Sparrow is a fairly common migrant or winter visitant in Coahuila. Miller, Friedman, Griscom, and Moore (1957:393) recordedZ. l. leucophrysfrom Sabinas on March 16 and February 23. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:212) remarked that "small flocks of White-crowned Sparrows were seen at infrequent intervals in thickets and stretches of underbrush on the outskirts of Saltillo on April 18 and again on April 24 ... [and] near a small town some twenty miles west of Saltillo on April 22." Specimens that Burleigh and Lowery (loc. cit.) collected "near Saltillo" were identified asZ. l. leucophrys.
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii(Nuttall).—Specimen examined:one, ♂ 31117, from Sierra de la Encantada (=38 mi. S, 23 mi. E Boquillas), 4400 ft., March 15, 1952.
Miller (1955a:177) notedZ. l. gambeliion April 27 at 4600 feet in Boquillas wash in the Sierra del Carmen. Hellmayr (1938:568) listedZ. l. gambeliifrom Sabinas.
Zontrichia leucophrys orianthaOberholser.—This subspecies has been recorded from Sabinas on April 25 and Hipólito on November 5 (Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore, 1957:393).
Melospiza lincolnii lincolnii(Audubon).—Specimen examined:one, ♀ 31595, from 20 mi. S Ocampo, 7000 ft., April 5, 1954, measurements: wing, 58 mm.; tail, 50 mm.; weight, 12 gms.
Lincoln's Sparrow seems to be a fairly common migrant or winter visitant in Coahuila;M. l. lincolniiis the common subspecies. Burleigh and Lowery (1942:212) found this sparrow only in a grain field situated between a small pond and a narrow stream on the outskirts of Saltillo; the four specimens collected were identified asM. l. lincolnii. No. 31595 was obtained in a pine-oak association.
Melospiza lincolnii alticola(Miller and McCabe).—Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:398) listedM. l. alticola, which seems to be uncommon in Coahuila, from Sabinas on March 14.
Melospiza lincolnii gracilis(Kittlitz).—Miller (1955a:177) took an unsexed representative ofM. l. gracilison April 7 in Carboneras Canyon of the Sierra del Carmen at 6700 feet. This occurrence is at the extreme eastern range of this subspecies.
Melospiza georgiana ericryptaOberholser.—In Coahuila this subspecies of the Swamp Sparrow has been recorded as a migrant or winter visitant. Miller, Friedmann, Griscom, and Moore (1957:399) recorded it from Sabinas on February 22 to March 8 and from 8 mi. S Cuatro Ciénegas on November 4.
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Transmitted February 27, 1959.
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