NORTHERN SLATE-COLORED JUNCO 1033 



Throughout the eastern parts of its range the species is apparently 

 double-brooded. In southwestern New York, I (1965) found two 

 laying peaks, the first at the end of April, the second the 

 first of July. In Maine where Palmer (1949) notes first sets from the 

 first week in May to the first week m June, he states: "A second brood 

 is raised, the eggs being laid from late June to late July." Peters and 

 Burleigh (1951a) foimd flying young near St. Johns June 9 and add: 

 "Perhaps two broods are raised in Newfoundland for Arnold found a 

 nest with three eggs in the Humber River valley on July IS, 1911." 



Eggs. — The northern slate-colored jimco usually lays from three 

 to five and rarely six slightly glossy eggs. They are generally ovate, 

 although some may tend to be either elongated or short ovate. The 

 ground is grayish or very pale bluish-white with speckles, spots, and 

 occasional blotches of reddish-browns such as "Verona brown," "rus- 

 set," "chestnut," or "Brussels brown," with undermarkings of "pale 

 mouse gray." In most cases the marldngs are concentrated toward 

 the large end where they frequently form a wreath. There is con- 

 siderable variation, some being only very faintly speckled, others 

 quite heavily spotted and with a few blotches, but in all con- 

 siderable groundcolor shows. Often the spottings are quite dull, 

 and the gray speckles may sometimes predominate. One set of 

 eggs in the MCZ is all white and unspotted. The measurements of 

 50 eggs of the nominate race average 19.4 by 14.4 millimeters; the 

 eggs showing the foiu- extremes measure 21.1 by 14.2, 20.9 by 16.2, 

 17.8 by 14.2, and 19.3 by 13.2 millimeters. 



Young. — Incubation is apparently by the female alone and usually 

 lasts 12 to 13 days. V. A. Greulach (1934) reports a 12-day incu- 

 bation period for a nest m Allegany State Park in southwestern 

 New York. In two nests I recently (1965) timed in the same region 

 the elapsed times from the last egg laid to the last to hatch were 12 

 and 13 days, respectively. 



Both parents feed the young and attend to nest sanitation. During 

 the first few days they eat the nestlings' fecal sacs, but on the fourth 

 or fifth day start to carry them away instead, usually flying to a 

 perch not far distant and wiping the sac off on a limb. At one of 

 my nests the male always flew to a nearby telephone wire to wipe 

 the sac from his bill; the ^ire was soon speckled white for a con- 

 siderable distance before a shower cleaned it up. 



V. A. Greulach (1934) comments: "The male removed 27 fecal 

 sacs to the female's 14 during the periods of observation. In all 

 cases where the disposition of the sacs was noted they were waped 

 off on tree branches. The brooding was apparently all done by the 

 female, and she was not observed brooding after the young were 

 seven days old." 



