332 BIRDS — FEINGILLID^. 



resembled an elongated hollow cone or inverted balloon. The only open- 

 ings sufficiently large to a,dmit the passage of the birds were an entrance 

 over the limb, at the fork, and an exit directly opposite. In this re- 

 markable structure the eggs were hatched and the young safely raised. 

 After the nest was deserted I found the attachment of the grass stems 

 sufficiently strong to support the nest after the limb on which it was 

 placed was removed. 



The nest is generally placed on the ground, but often on a low bush. 

 It is composed mainly of leaves and grass, and lined with fine grass, 

 rarely with horse-hair, perhaps with good reason, for I have found two 

 . unfortunate females who had ensnared themselves in attempting to use 

 this material. The eggs are usually five. Their ground color varies 

 from a grayish- or pinkish-white to light bluish-green, more or less 

 thickly spotted with dark reddish brown. Their average measurement 

 i=< .82 by .60. 



Genus JUNCO. Wagler. 



Bill small, the lower mandible aa liigh as the upper. Taisay longer ihau middle toe; 

 outer toe longer than inner, barely reaching to base of middle claw ; hiiid toe reaching 

 to middle of middle claw. Wings rather short; a little longer tljan the tail; pnmaries 

 longer than the nearly equal secondaries and terliaries. 



Jdnco hyemalis (L ) Scl. 



Sno-wbird.. 



Fringilla hyemalis, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Surv., lt-3rf, 164, 183. — Rkad, Proc. Phila. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci., vi, 1853, 395. ' 



Junco Tiyemalis, Wheaton; Ohio Agric. Rep. for 18()0, 33G; Reprint, 1601, 8; Food of 

 Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 566 ; Reprint, 1875, 6 — Langdon, Birds of 

 Cin., 1877, 8; Revised List, .Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 175; Reprint, 9. 



Snow Bird, Kirtland, Fam. Visitor, i, 1850, 63.— Read, Fam. Visitor, iii, 1852, 68. 



Fringilla hyemalis, Linn.s;us, Syst. Nat., i, 1758, 183. 

 Junco hyemalis, Solater, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1857, 7. 



Blackish-ash, below abruptly pure white from the breast. Two to three outer tail 

 feathers white. Bill flesh colored. In the female, and in fact in most fall and winter 

 specimens, the upper parts have a more grayish, or even a decidedly brownish cast, and 

 the inner quills are edged with pale bay. Length, 6-6i; wing and tail, about 3. 



Habitat, Eastern Province of North America; in the United States west to the Black 

 Hills, thence northwest to Alaska. Washington Territory. Utah. Colorado. Arizona. 



Winter resident in Southern and Middle, and resident throughout the 

 year in Northeastern Ohio. Dr. Kirtland says it "breeds in great num- 

 bers in the dark beech woods of the Connecticut Western Reserve." Mr. 

 Read says it is " most abundant in winter, yet common throughout the 

 year." I have seen it in July in Portage county. In the vicinity 



