THE OREGON JUNCO. 



Residents of the Atlantic, Middle, the small bushes in quest of food. A 



Southern and Middle Western States are, great deal of pleasure and interest may 



doubtless, well acquainted with the slate- be found in studying these birds, espe- 



colored Junco. This little feathered speci- daily when the ground is covered with 



men is more familiarly known as "Snow- snow. By casting bread crumbs on the 



bird." snow, the little fellows flock around, and 



The Oregon Junco ("Junco hyemalis are easily tamed. In winter their only 



var. Oregonus") is a sub-species, and is note is a sort of chirp, sometimes uttered 



found throughout the Pacific coast region several times in quick succession when 



from California to Sitka. It is, by no alarmed. With the warm days of spring 



means, confined exclusively to Oregon, they begin their song, sometimes many 



Its darkest-hued plumage makes the bird singing at once, and soon the majority 



very conspicuous when the ground is cov- disappear to a higher altitude to breed, 



ered with a soft and spotless mantle of The Oregon Junco builds its nest in 



snow. hollows in the ground under low bushes. 



The sooty-black head, flesh-colored The nest is constructed flush with the 



bill and white breast, sharply contrast in surface and in holes among the roots of 



color. On the sides are pinkish colored bushes and trees, and under woodpiles, 



feathers ; the back is rufous-brown and Usually, the nest is made of dry grasses 



the two outer tail feathers pure white, rather loosely placed together, with a lin- 



showing when the bird flies. In west- ing of cowhair, and contains four and 



ern Oregon it is a winter visitant, arriv- sometimes five handsome greenish-white 



ing with the first cool days of autumn. eggs, spotted and wreathed with purple. 



As winter approaches these snowbirds J. Mayne Baltimore, 

 become more plentiful, hopping about in 



Olive Thorne Miller, in her fascinating 

 little book, "The First Book of Birds," 

 speaking of how the birds work for us, 

 says : "Chickadees like to eat the eggs of 

 cankerworms ; and for a single meal one 

 of these tiny birds will eat two hundred 

 and fifty eggs, and he will take several 

 meals a day. Now, cankerworms destroy 

 our apples. When they get into an or 

 chard in force, it looks, as Miss Merriam 

 says, as if it had been burned over. 

 Robins, catbirds, and shrikes,, and sev 

 eral others, like to eat cutworms, which 

 destroy grass and other plants. As many 

 as three hundred of them have been found 

 in the stomach of a robin, of course for 

 one meal. Ants are very troublesome in 

 many ways, and three thousand of them 

 have been taken from the stomach of one 

 flicker." 



Why kill these birds that are so useful 

 to us and so beautify nature? Many oth 

 ers are just as useful and some that occa 

 sionally do damage amply repay us in 

 other ways. 



