In response to Russell Rogers' query about fox sparrow subspecies, Jewett
et al. (Birds of Washington, 1953) reported that P. i. olivacea was named
from WA state (type locality Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier) as a race
distinct from P. i. schistacea, which our birds had been considered in
previous literature. They stated that birds in the Blue Mountains
approached schistacea in their characteristics. As you go south in OR,
schistacea occurs in the northern Cascades and Blue/Wallowa mountains,
fulva in the southern Cascades/Steens Mountain, and megarhyncha in the sw
mountains. I haven't looked at the original description of olivacea, but I
suspect it's not well-defined from schistacea, as it is rare to find an
organism restricted to the mountains of WA (also far southern BC),
including both Cascades and Blues.

Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416