124 



THE SHUFELDT JUNCO. 



iiesls ha\'e Ijeen fdimd in old tin cans Hung- duwii uimn the prairie and only 

 half obscnrcd Ijy gmwing- grasses. Again the l>irds trust to the density of 

 vegetation, and shelter in the grass of unniowed orchards, weed-lots, and 

 meadows. One site was found in which the hird occupied a carefully chosen 

 fern arbor in the midst of a collection of whitened bones, evidenth- the mortal 

 remains of a defunct draft horse. The situation was delightfully gruesome. 



Taken in li'hatcom County. 

 Photo by the Author. 

 NEST AND EGGS OF 



SHUFELDT JUNCO. 



and, tnuchcd no doubt with \anity, the owner sat for her portrait at four 

 feet, a la Bernhardt. 



Juncoes keep very quiet during the nesting season until disturbed, and 

 the}' are very close sitters. When nearly stepped on the bird bursts off, and, 

 if there are young, crawls and tumbles along the ground within a few feet 

 of the intruder, displaying wings and tail in a most appealing manner. The 

 tssiks of both birds are incessantly repeated, and the whole woodside is set 

 agog with apprehension. 



If one posts himself in a suspected locality not too near the nest, it is 

 only a question of time till the solicitude of the nursing mother will triumph 

 over fear. One such I traced ti.i a charming mossy bank, overlooking a 



