Some Nesting Habits of the Oregon Junco 



213 



Once during tlie period of nest-building, I saw the whole family — father, 

 mother and two youngsters of the first brood — at the lunch-counter. Here 

 the father showed his devotion to his family by taking all the care of the child- 

 ren. They followed him about, and he patiently droi)ped grain, first into one 

 gaping mouth and then into the other. While the mother ate her meal uncon- 

 cernedly, and then flew off in the direction of her new nest. Soon there came a 

 time when the female was seen only when she made hurried visits to the lunch- 

 counter for food and water. The male spent much of his time singing in the 

 cedar-tree, or on a nearby telephone pole. He and the two young ones were 

 often seen at the lunch-counter, and in the trees near the nest. A dense yew 



OREGOX JUNCO 



tree, about fifteen feet distant, was a favorite with them, and here they were 

 so often seen at dusk as to warrant the conclusion that they roosted there. 

 On July 6, we first saw the parents wdth food in their bills, and knew that 

 the second brood was hatched. I took a position under a small cherry tree on 

 the slope, and waited. The female soon arrived with food and alighted in the 

 yew tree. She 'ticked' several times, then flew down and disappeared in the 

 weeds about twenty feet below me on the slope. She reappeared almost 

 instantly, perched in the yew tree again, wiped her bill daintily, and lingered a 

 short time before departing. In five minutes she returned, accompanied by 

 the male, both with food for the young. She flew down at once, reappeared 

 without the food, and departed. The male was disturbed by my presence. 

 It was fifteen minutes before he was reassured suflficiently to visit the nest, and 

 leave the two fat worms that dangled from his bill. Even with the location 

 thus plainly marked, I had difficulty in finding the nest, so completely was it 



