THE SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. 



( Junco liy emails. ) 



The Juncos or Snowbirds as they 

 are commonly called ,are hardy and 

 abundant birds. However, during the 

 breeding season they are found only 

 from the northern border of the United 

 States northward, and in the higher 

 altitudes of the mountain ranges of the 

 Eastern States southward to Virginia. 

 Their geographical range covers North 

 America chiefly east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, and they winter southward 

 to the Gulf States. About the .first of 

 October, or soon thereafter, these birds 

 begin their southern migration south- 

 ward, not because of the cold, but 

 rather because of hunger for from that 

 time on through the winter it becomes 

 almost impossible for them to obtain 

 food in the far North. In the more 

 temperate portions of the northern 

 United States, it becomes a winter 

 resident, for the snow- is not so deep 

 but that the weeds stand above it and 

 the birds can gather the seeds. In such 

 localities the usually shy Juncos fre- 

 quently become quite tame during the 

 severer weather and time of deep snows 

 which prevent them from obtaining 

 food at the borders of the forests, 

 where they seek it among the shrubby 

 thickets and fallen leaves. They then 

 visit the weeds of roadsides and seek 

 food also in the vicinity of farm- 

 houses. They w411 even visit the kitchen 

 door, with the chickadees and spar- 

 rows, and feed upon the crumbs and 

 scraps which may be found there. Flor- 

 ence A. Merriam has said: "When the 

 snow begins to fly you will look out 

 some gray morning to find a flock of 

 small, plump, slate-colored birds hop- 

 ping about the dooryard, picking up 

 what they can find, or sitting in the 

 bushes with an air of contentment that 

 is pleasant to see." When we see the 

 Juncos over a field of snow, the som- 

 ber color of the plumage of the upper- 

 sides and the white of the undersides 

 of the birds, reminds us of the words 



of Mr. Parkhurst "Leaden skies above ; 

 snow below" so well do they match 

 their winter environment. 



If we desire a better acquaintance 

 with these gentle and interesting visi- 

 tants to our . door-yards during the 

 bleak winter months, we must visit 

 them in their summer homes in the 

 far North, even as far as the "barren 

 grounds" of the Arctic regions. The 

 Juncos leave their winter home about 

 the time that our own summer birds, 

 such as the bluebirds and robins, begin 

 to appear. Regarding the time of its 

 appearance in the far North, -Mr. E. 

 W. Nelson says: "It reaches Fort Re- 

 liance, on the Upper Yukon, by April 

 30, and I have found it at the Yukon 

 mouth by the nth of May. At Nulato, 

 Alaska, it was found common by Dall, 

 who records its arrival on the first of 

 June. In the Hudson Bay Territory, 

 Kennicott found it breeding abundantly 

 to latitude 65° North, and it is known 

 to arrive on the Mackenzie River by 

 the 20th of April. While I was camp- 

 ing at the Yukon mouth, the last of 

 May, 1879, it was a common bird, 

 and at Kotlik it was found numerous 

 about the trading post, searching the 

 ground close to the doorstep for food." 

 Mr. Nelson also says that one of his 

 collectors brought him a nest from 

 Nulato, which was obtained the first 

 of June, 1880. It was built on the 

 ground and contained five eggs. One 

 authority states that the Juncos begin 

 nesting in Ontario "the first week in 

 May, and nests with eggs are found as 

 late as August." Dr. Brewer says: 

 ''About Calais and in all the islands 

 of the Bay of Fundy, and throughout 

 New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, I 

 found this by far the most common 

 and familiar species, especially at Pic- 

 tou, where it abounded in the gardens, 

 in repeated instances coming within the 

 out-buildings to build its nests." He 

 also says that at Pictou they were usu- 



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