314 



ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



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

 on the head or bodj' ; 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. la 

 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. 



Fiinffilla hyemnlis, Linnajus. Syst. Nat., I. (10th ed., 1758) 183. Aud. Cm. Biog., 

 I. (1831) 72; V. 505. 



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

 Fringilla nimilis. Wils., IL (1810) 129. 



Description. 



Ever^'where 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 

 ill fall returns to its winter 

 home. A few pairs breed in 

 Massachusetts on the Holjoke 

 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 1 

 Song Sparrow, lower fig. 



