118 THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. 
the song is a sort of subdued musical croaking, mellow and rich at close 
quarters, but with little carrying power. The bird throws his head well back 
in singing, and the tail is carried more nearly horizontal than is the case with 
most Sparrows. A song from the Yakima country ran: Heo, chip'peway, 
chip'peway, chip’ peway, but a common type heard on the banks of the Colum- 
bia in Walla Walla County, and repeated upon the northern limit of the 
bird’s range in Douglas County, is Tup, tup, to weely, chup, tup. A more 
pretentious ditty, occupying two seconds in delivery, runs Hooriedoppety, 
weeter wee, doodlety pootatcr,—an ecstacy song, wherein the little singer 
seems to be intoxicated with the aroma of his favorite sage. 
One may search a long time in the neighborhood of the singer—who, by 
the way, closes the concert abruptly when he realizes that he is likely to give 
his secret away—hefore finding the humble domicile a foot or two up in a sage 
bush. A nest which contained five eggs was composed externally of sage 
twigs set into a concealed crotch of the bush, but the bulk of it consisted of 
weed-bark and “hemp” of a quite uniform quality; while the lining contained 
tufts of wool, rabbit-fur, cow-hair, feathers, and a few coiled horse-hairs. 
The feathers were procured at some distant ranch, and their soft tips were 
gracefully upturned to further the concealment of the eggs, already well pro- 
tected by their grayish green tints. 
Another nest, sighted some forty paces away, contained one egg, and we 
had high hopes of being able to secure photographs upon our return with the 
camera. But a few rods further we came upon a crew of sneaking Magpies, 
scouring the sage with a dozen beady eyes, and passing sneering or vulgarly 
jocose remarks upon what they found. When we returned, therefore, a day 
or two later, we were not surprised to learn that the feathered marauders 
had preferred egg-in-the-bill to souvenir photographs. 
No. 46. 
SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. 
A. O. U. No. 567. Junco hyemalis (Linn.). 
Synonyms.—SNow-sirp. EASTERN SNOW-BIRD. 
Description.—4dult male in summer: Upperparts, throat and breast slate- 
color deepening to slaty-black on pileum, the bluish tinge lacking on wings and 
tail; below, abruptly white from the breast, the flanks ashy slate; the two outer 
pairs of tail-feathers entirely, and the third pair principally white; bill flesh-color, 
usually tipped with black. Adult female: Similar to male; throat and breast 
paler; a brownish wash over the upperparts, deepest on nape and upper back; 
wings brownish fuscous rather than black, and sides tawny-washed. Adult male: 
in winter, becoming like female, but still distinguishable. Length 6.00-6.50 
