SNOW-BIRDS. 



125 



bluish grey ; tail dusky, washed and edged with bluish ; 

 under surface greyish-brown, the throat, abdomen and 

 tips of under tail-coverts buffish white. Habiutt, " Te.xius ; 

 Michigan rarely ; Lower California, breeding. Central 

 Amenta : Mexico and Guatemala." — Shari)e. 



All that J. G. Cooper tells us (" Ornith. Calif.," Vol. I., 

 p. 235), is : — "This l>oautiful bird is not rare at Cape St. 

 Lucivs, where it breeds; the nest and eggs, and the 

 habits of the bird itself, likewise, are probably much 

 like those of C. amietia." 



Mr, IkH'be has given very little information about this 

 species in his "Two Bird-lovers in Me.xico." He tells us, 

 p. 350, that the male utters a rather sweet but simple 

 .song, iuid at p. 394 (Appendix) : — " Connnon only along 

 the edges of the barranca streams and on the Colima 

 trail, in company with florks of Black-headiHl Cii'os- 

 l>eaks." 1 do not know where more information can 

 be obtained. I have looked through many volumes in 

 vain. 



Dr. Ru.ss tells us that this "Western Nonpareil," 

 "Varied Bunting," or whatever it is decided to call it, 

 has clways been extremely rare in the European market. 

 1 can quite believe that, but there is always a chance 

 that it nuiy come in some consigimient from Central 

 America. 



American Snow-bird* (Junco hiemalis). 



"Head, neck, chest, upper breast, sides, flanks, and 

 upper parts plain slate-colour, darker on head, where 

 approaching slate-black on pileum, rather paler (ap- 

 proaching slate-grey) on rump and sides ; lower brea.st, 

 abdomen, anal region, and under tail-coverts white ; six 

 middle tail-feathers .slate-blac-kish. edged with slate 

 grej'ish ; two outenno.st tail-feathers white (the second 

 sometimes du.sky at ba.se and e<lged with dusky toward 

 tip), tha third white and dusky (the latter usually 

 pre<lominating) ; bill (in life) pinkish or lilaceous white, 

 with dusky tip (at least in winter) ; iris dark reddish 

 brown or claret puqile ; tarsi light brownish, toes usually 

 darker." Adult female. — Similar to adult male, but the 

 slate colour rather lighter (sometimes decidedly so), and 

 the second tail-feather always (?) partly dusky." — 

 Ridgway. Habitat, " N. America, chiefly east of the 

 Rocky Mountains, breeding from the higher parts of 

 the Alleghanies, northern New York, and Northern New 

 England northwards. South in winter to the Gulf 

 States." (Cf. A.O.U. Check-List.) 



The following account of the life habits is a free 

 translation from Russ'.s work ; he quotes from various 

 American authors, and then gives his own experiences : — > 

 According to Gentry, this species appears in Pennsyl- 

 vania in cold seasons as early as the middle of October, 

 but usually in November. At first one notices it in 

 meadows, fields, and the outskirts of woods, but with 

 the fall of snow and increased cold it is driven by 

 hunger to the vicinity of human habitations, when it 

 l>ecomes confiding and even impudent and feeds on scraps 

 in courtyards and gardens. 



In the autumn berries and seeds serve it for food ; in 

 winter it eagerly devours the seeds of all kinds of weeds 

 as well as the eggs and pup,!! of insects ; in the spring it 

 feeds on the anthers and stalks of the flowers of various 

 plants ; an examination of the crop revealed red ants, 

 etc.. in addition to seeds and grit. 



The flight is low, nndulating, and fairly rapid. When 

 feeding one usually sees it on the ground, and as a rule 

 it does not perch high in a thicket, rarely at the tops 

 of high trees. 



Though confiding and bold, it is frequently shy and 



• From their habits I should iudpre that the Snow-birds would 

 benefit by a more Taried seed diet; I should offer thfm canary, 

 millet. German rape, oats, and hemp. Insects should of course 

 be given. 



nervous ; it lives in flocks, starts up with every unusual 

 sound, but wheels round again to the same spot. The 



call-noU' is t.'<ir. 



In the spring, as soon as it returns to the outskirts of 

 the woods, etc., it becomes far more distrustful and at 

 the same time more sprightly. It always repeats its 

 joyous song in the following syllables — Iwee-twee-twee-ah, 

 tiree-c-e-c-e-ah. It .somewhat resembles that of the 

 Pigmy Sparrow. F. pusilla, but is neither so loud nor 

 .so prolonged. Extraordinary discrepancies occur in the 

 migration of this species ; for instance, in the la.st third 

 of ,June, 1875, the Snow-finches were as abundant here 

 as in the winter, and were, moreover cheerful and lively. 

 This late stay al.so was accounted for by the remark- 

 ably long duration of the winter, and I conclude there- 

 fore that their breeding-place could not be far from 

 here, probably in the neaiest mountains. 



The Snow-finch is next said to breed only at high 

 elevations. The nest is placed on the ground in scanty 

 .scrub and gra.ssy plains, and is concealed under tufts 

 of grass, roots, or dead leaves ; it is constructed 

 externally of coar.se bents, grasses, and straw, fine roots, 

 strips of bark, and hor.sehair, woven together, and lined 

 with soft moss and animal wool ; the cavity is deep and 

 wide compared with the size of the bird. The eggs are 

 yellowish-white, thickly .sprinkled, especially at the 

 larger end where they sometimes unite into a patch, 

 with small reddish or dark chocolate spots. 



Russ .says that this bird seldom appears in the market, 

 which is certainly true so far as our market is concerned, 

 though I have seen one or two specimens at long 

 intervals, and I believe I have also met with it at one 

 or two bird-shows; he says that Reiche and Hagenbeck 

 received it as a rule haphazard and singly and he 

 believes that several pairs were only received on one 

 occasion. He continues as follows : — " The first pair I 

 received from Karl Hagenbeck in 1868, and I was 

 delighted by their strangely great sprightliness, their 

 pretty and graceful movements and their soft, mono- 

 tonous, but not unpleasing song. They soon began 

 nesting." 



" In my birdroom I kept the above-mentioned pair in 

 excellent condition for some years and they nested 

 almost regularly nearly every year in March until the 

 end of May. The very small nest was constructed by 

 lioth mates of grass-stems, strips of paper, and threads 

 of worsted, and lined with horsehair. At the begin- 

 ning, however, owing to their already mentioned spright- 

 liness, they never reared the young, or deserted the nest 

 at the .slightest alarm. A second pair was the first to 

 rea.r several broods ; one in the first year and two in the 

 second, each time consisting of three young from three 

 to four eggs. Incubation lasts twelve days ; the female 

 alone incubates, is fed by the male and assiduously 

 defended, and both together bring up the young." 



Oregon Snow-bird [Jnnro oregonux). 

 Head, neck, and breast all round black, slightly duller 

 and more slaty on throat and breast ; back and scapulars 

 dull chocolate ; rump, upper tail-coverts, lesser and 

 middle wing-coverts dull mouse-grey ; greater coverts, 

 flights and tail-feathers blackish with greyish edges, 

 but the inner wing-feathers browner than the others; 

 two outermost tail-feathers mo.stly white, and the third 

 partly white towards the tip ; sides and flanks rusty- 

 cinnamon, the latter suffused with mouse-brown ; central 

 portion of body below, including back of chest, 

 abdomen and under tail-ooverts white; beak pinkish- 

 white, slightly du.sky at tip (becoming waxy yellow after 

 death) ; feet pale brown, the toes and claws slightly 

 darker; irides reddish brown. Female with head, neck, 

 and chest slate grey, the crown and nape browner; the 

 back and scapulars paler brown ; rump, upper tail- 



