FINCHES 



47 



shelter its Jimco households. Not only in east- 

 ern but in western and northern Xorth Anieriea 

 up to the limit of trees, and south down through 

 Mexico to Central America the Junco is common. 



It is over the Rocky Mountain and Pacific 

 coast Juncos that the scientists have become very 

 much disturbed, and well they might, for nearly 

 twenty varieties of Juncos have been credited 

 to that country. East of the Rockies there is 

 one great varietv, the Slate-colored or h'astern 

 Junco that occupies an area greater than any 

 dozen varieties of the West. Far up to the north- 

 west our Eastern Snowbird goes, sometimes 

 pushing on to the limit of trees on the lower 

 Coppermine and Mackenzie rivers. Many cross 

 the Rockies up in that far northwest to the head- 

 waters of the Yukon, and spread out in large 

 numbers down the Yukon and uj) its tributaries 

 occupying most of central, northern, and west- 

 ern Alaska. Some even fly through the Aleutian 

 Islands to the mainland of Siberia to nest on the 

 inhospitable rocks of a strange corner of the 

 Old World. The other varieties of Juncos do 

 not extend farther north than southern Alaska 

 and northern British Columbia. 



A variety of the Eastern Junco is the Carolina 

 Junco {Junco hvciiialis caroliiiriisis ) . which ex- 

 hibits a remarkably short migration route. It 

 inhabits the southern Alleghenies and is slightly 

 larger than the Eastern and not so brownish. Dr. 

 \\'. W. Cooke said that in the fall migration 

 " no Juncos were seen at \\'eaverville, N, C. 

 before October i8th, though they nested ui)on 

 the neighboring mountains, within five minutes' 

 flight." 



The other varieties are all ^\'estern and they 

 show all sorts of interesting variations of color, 

 but the habits of nesting, feeding, and singing 

 are all very much alike. The ^^'hite-winged 

 Junco {Junco aikciii), larger than the Eastern, 

 has two white wing bars and more white in the 

 tail. The White-wing breeds in the Black Hills 

 and surrounding country, and migrates less than 

 500 miles to southeastern Colorado for the 

 winter. Within its area it is found in immense 

 numbers. 



Maybe the handsomest is the Oregon Junco 

 (Junco hycmalis orcganus) with a black head 

 and breast, sharply defined against a mahoganv- 

 brown back, white under parts, and pinkish- 

 brown sides. This is a bird of the Xorth Pa- 

 \'oi.. III. — ; 



cific coast. Shufeldt's Junco {Junco liycnialis 

 coiiucctcns ) is like the (Jregon Init with colors 

 less intense, it is found in the mountains from 

 .Mbcrta to eastern Oregon. Thurlier's Jimco 

 {Junco liycnialis tluirbcri) has a paler back and 

 is a California mountain bird. The Point Pinos 

 Junco {Junco liycnialis pinosiis) is like Thurber's 

 but has the throat and breast gray, and hatmts 

 the coast of a part of southern California. The 

 Montana Junco (y^uk';; liycnialis inontaiius) is one 

 of the slaty-hooded and brown-backed Juncos. 

 It belongs in the higher Rockies of Idalio, Mon- 

 tana, and north to .-Mbcrta. The Pink-sided 

 Jinico {Junco liycnialis incarnsi) has broadly 

 pinkish sides and ranges iu the mountains from 

 northern Montana to Idaho and \\'yoming. 

 Ridgway's Junco {Junco liycnialis aniiccfcns) 

 is discarded by Ridgway himself as onl\- a 

 hybrid. It is foimd from Wvoming to Xew 

 Mexico. The Arizona Junco (Junco plnvonotus 

 pallialiis) has no pink sides but has a dark brown 

 back. It ranges from southern Arizona into 

 Mexico, and is said to have less of the manners 

 of a Junco than of a Water Thrush. The Red- 

 backed Junco {Junco plucoiiotiis ilorsalis) has a 

 bright rtifous back and a pink liill. It belongs in 

 the higher mountains of Arizona and New 

 Mexico. The (iray-headed Junco {Junco pluvo- 

 notiis caniccps) is of darker grav with I)elly 

 whiter than the jireceding. It finds its home in 

 the higher mountains of Colorado, Utah, and 

 Nevada. .South of the United .States are found 

 Townsend's, Baird's. Guadalu])e, Mexican, Chia- 

 pas, (7uatemala, and Irazu luncos. The first 

 three of these are of occasional occurrence in the 

 southwestern United States. .\11 of which means 

 that east of the Rockies we may still love 

 the cheery Black Snowbird that is frequentlv 

 willing to pick at a dinner laid out near our 

 doors and windows, but that elsewhere we niav 

 see all kinds of colors and sizes and variant 

 types, and maybe new kinds of Junco characters 

 and dispositions. L. Nelson Nichols. 



The insect food of the Juncos is composed 

 almost entirely of harmful sjiecies, of which 

 caterpillars form the the largest item. Juncos do 

 no damage to fruit or grain. Thev eat large 

 quantities of weed seed (61.S per cent.), therebv 

 rendering service to agriculture. Thev should 

 be rigidly protected. 



