.THE SHUFELDT JUNCO. 



123 



runs anuick. and goes charging al)<)ut tliru the woodsy mazes in a line 

 frenzy — without, liowever, quite spilling" his brains. Others catch the ex- 

 citement and tlie company breaks up in a mad whirl of amorous pursuit. 



At the end of 

 the brief song- 

 period, Juncoes 

 deploy thruout 

 the h a 1 f - o p e n 

 woods or prairie 

 borders of the en- 

 tire State, from 

 sea-le\'el to tim- 

 ber-line. The va- 

 riety and interest 

 of their nesting 

 habits are scarce- 

 ly exceeded by 

 those of any other 

 bird. In general 

 they appear to be 

 gi.iided b}- some 

 thought of seclu- 

 sion or protection 

 in their clioice of 

 nesting sites. 

 Steep hillsides or 

 little banks are, 

 therefore, favorite 

 places, for here 

 the l)ird may ex- 

 cavate a c o o ! 

 grotto in the 

 earth, and allow 

 the drapery of the 

 hillside. mosses 

 and r u n n i n g 

 vines, to festoon 

 and guard the ai> 

 p r o a c h e s. At 



Newix)rt we found them nesting in the road-cuts. At Snoqualmie the side 

 of a haystack sheltered a confiding pair. At Tacoma the birds nest at the 

 base of tiny clumps of oak. or imder the shelter of brusli-piles. Several 



Photo by the 

 U.NDER A TIX ROOF. 



EST IN THE CAN CONTAINS FIVE ECCS. 



