Slate-coloured Junco 375 



Distribution. — The central regions of the United States, breeding in 

 Wyoming, north-west Nebraska and Colorado, south in winter in 

 Colorado, and occasionally to Kansas and Oklahama. 



This Junco is a common winter bird in Colorado along the eastern 

 base of the Rockies, and ranges as high as 10,000 feet (Trippe & Gale) ; 

 it reaches El Paso co., where it is quite common, at the end of October, 

 and leaves again at the end of March ; the earliest and latest dates in 

 the Aiken collection for El Paso co. are October 22nd and April 7th. 



Other recorded Colorado localities are : Ward, 10,000 feet, 

 April 8th (D. Gale), Idaho Springs (Trippe), Barr Lakes, rare winter 

 resident (Hersey & Rockwell), Pueblo (Beckham), north-west Baca 

 CO., November (Cary), San Juan co. (Drew), La Plata co. (Morrison), 

 Mesa CO. (Rockwell). I have a note of Professor Brunner that he 

 observed this species in the Ute Creek district of Costilla co. at an 

 elevation of 10,000 feet in summer, so that it will probably be classed 

 as a resident. This observation has recently been confirmed by Cary, 

 who reports that Mr. Blanchard, of Boulder, showed him a nest 

 containing young birds on June 11th, near Magnolia in Boulder co., 

 at about 7,000 feet. 



Habits. — The White-winged Junco arrives in Colorado, 

 as a rule, after the first heavy snowstorm in the autumn. 

 Though prettj'' generally associated with mixed flocks 

 of other species, it occasionally forms httle exclusive 

 parties of its own. The favourite resorts of this and 

 other Juncos are the bushes and thickets along the banks 

 of streams, and especially in the neighbourhood of houses 

 and ranches, where it picks up a living about the corrals 

 and the straw-yards during the winter. If not molested 

 it becomes fairly tame and confiding. 



Slate-coloured Junco. Junco hyemalis. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 567— Colorado Records — Aiken 72, p. 201 ; 

 Trippe 74, p. 144 ; Beckham 87, p. 122 ; Cooke 97, p. 104 ; Henderson 

 03, pp. 108, 110 ; 09, p. 237 ; Warren 06, p. 23 ; Oilman 07, p. 157. 



Description. — ilale — Closely resembling J. aikeni in general colora- 

 tion but slightly darker slaty, without any trace of the white wing- 

 bands, and with the third pair of tail-feathers (counting from the outer- 

 most) white on the outer, dusky on the inner half, instead of nearly 

 pure white ; iris dark reddish-brown, bill pinkish with dusky tip, 

 feet brownish. Length 6-15; wing 3-15; tail 2-50; culmen 42; 

 tarsus -70. 



