592.1. Oreospiza chlorura. 7 inches.

These are characteristic birds of the Western mountains. They are typical brush birds, satisfied in living a life of security in their own way, and rarely appear above the surface of the thick shrubbery except to mount to a conspicuous twig, pour forth their sweet melodies and then retreat again.

Notes. - A loud chip; a soft, mewing note; song, finch-like, musical but rather simple.

Nest. - Either on the ground or in bushes near the ground. Made of grasses the same as that of any of the sparrows. Eggs pale bluish gray, thickly speckled with reddish brown. The nests are built in very thickly tangled underbrush and are difficult to locate.

Range. - Western United States, from the eastern base of the Rockies west to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas.