314 



ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



slightly emarginate and rounded ; feathers rather narrow, oval at the end ; no streaks 

 on the head or body ; color above uniform on the head, back, or rump, separately or 

 on all together ; belly white ; outer tail feathers white. 



The essential characters of this genus are, the middle toe rather shorter than the 

 short tarsus; the lateral toes slightly unequal, the outer reaching the base of 

 the middle claw; the tail a little shorter than the wings, slightly emarginate. In 

 Junco cinereus the claws are longer; the lower mandible a little lower than the 

 upper; the species have the upper parts ashy or plumbeous, the belly and lateral 

 tail feathers white. 



JUNCO HYEMALIS. Sclater. 

 The Snowbird. 



Fringilla hyemalis, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (10th ed., 1758) 183. Aud. Orn. Biog., 

 I. (1831) 72; V. 505.' 



Junco hyemalis, Sclater. Pr. Zool. Soc. (1857), 7. 

 Fringilla nivalis. Wils., II. (1810) 129. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Everywhere of a grayish or dark ashy-black, deepest anteriorly ; the middle of 

 the breast behind and of the belly, the under tail coverts, and first and second exter- 

 nal tail feathers, white ; the third tail feather white, margined with black. 



Length, six and twenty-five one-hundredths inches ; wing, about three inches. 



This interesting and well-known little species is an abun- 

 dant inhabitant of New Eng- 

 land. In the spring it migrates 

 from the southern districts, 

 where it spends the winter, to 

 the northern sections, and late 

 in fall returns to its winter 

 home. A few pairs breed in 

 Massachusetts on the Holyoke 

 Mountains, and in New Hamp- 

 shire on the White Mountains : 

 but the great numbers pass to 

 the northern districts to spend 

 the summer ; and near the Um- 

 bagog lakes, and north to the 

 Canada frontier, it is the most 

 common species. I have been 

 so fortunate as to find a number of the nests: some had eggs 

 as early as the last week in May, and others as late as the 



Snowbird, upper i 

 Song Sparrow, lower fig. 



