142 JUNCO OEEGONUS, OKE^ON SNOW-BIRD. 



at ordinary altitudes. The eggs are white or whitish, often with a faint 

 grayish tint, occasionally slightly flesh-colored, sprinkled more or less 

 thickly and uniformly with reddish-browu, or pale chocolate, and often, 

 also, a few dark-brown dots. The tendency is to aggregation, at or 

 around the but. They measure 0.80 by 0.60.' All the si)ecies of Juneo 

 lay similar eggs, and the uidification is essentially the same. 



JimCO OEBGOXUS, (Towns.) Scl. 

 Oregon Snow-bird. 



mnfjilla oregona, Towxs., J. A. N. S. Phila. vii, IS'iT, 188 ; Narr. 1839, 345.— Aur>., Orn. 

 Biog. V, 1839, 68, pi. 39fl. 



Struthvs oregoiim, Bp., List, 1838, 31 ; Consp. Av. i, 1850, 475.— WoODH., .Sitgr. Rep. 

 1^53, 83.— Newe., p. R. R. Rep. vi, 1857, 88. ' 



Xiphea oregona, AuB., Syn. 1839, 107 ; B. Am. iii, 1841, 91, pi. 168. 



Jiuieo oregonus, Soi,., P. Z. S. 1857, 7 ; Cat. 188d, 115.— Lord, Pr. Arty. Inst. 1864, iv, 

 l-.i0.— Bd., B. N. a. 1858, 466.— Kexx., P. R. R. Rep. 1859, part iv, 28.— Hkerm., 

 ihid. part vi, 47.— Coop. & Suck., N. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 20^.— Hayd., Rep. 

 1862, 166.— Cooes, Pr. Pbila. Acad. 1866, 85.— Dall & Baxn., Tr. Cljic. Acad, 

 i,- 1869, 284.— Coop.. B. Cal. i, 187U,' 199.— Stev., U. S. Geol. Siirv. Ter. 1870, 

 464.— ilERK., ihid. 1872, 681.— FiNSCH, Abb. Nat. iii, 1872. 53 (Al.isl a).— Allen, 

 Bull. JI. C. Z. iii, 1872, 118, 167.— Hold.— Aikkn, Pr. Bost. 8oc. 1872, 200 (Wy- 

 oming).— Coues, Key, 1872, 141.- B. B. & E., N. A. B. i, 1874, 584, pi. 26, f. 2. 



Jnnco hijemalis var. oregonus, EiDGW., Aui. Nat. vii, 1873, 613 (critical). 



FringiUa hudsonia. Light., Abh. Ak. Berlin, 1839, 424, neg Fokst. 



FringiUa atrata, Braxdt, Ic. Eobso-As. pi. 2, 6g. 8. 



Hal. — Western and Middle Provinces of North America ; straggling to edge of the 

 Eastern Province. 



Lieuienant Warren's Expedition. — No. 5372, Medicine Creek ; 5374, Great Bend of Mis- 

 souri Eiver. 



Later Expeditions. — 61022-7, Green Eiver, &c., Wyoming; 62316-23, Idaho and Wy- 

 oming. 



The Warren specimens indicate a nearly extreme eastern range of the 

 species ; still, we have advices of its occurrence in Kansas, both at Port 

 Leavenworth and at Fort Eiley, which brings it fairly within the limits 

 of the Eastern Province. It has only occurred in winter, however, in 

 these localities. 



The date of capture of the Eaynolds' examples renders it probable 

 that tlie bird breeds in those places. Just as we have seen the Eastern 

 Snow-bird breeding in mountains, in latitudes below those where it 

 breeds down to sea-level, so the Oregon species resides in summer, at 

 least, down to the 35° parallel, if not further. Dr. Cooper, indeed, 

 observes that it summers in the mountainous parts of Califoruia, prob- 

 ably down to the 32° parallel ; he observed it at San Diego until April, 

 when he judged that it retired to the high mountains a few miles from 

 the coast, to breed. He found it nesting on the coast mountains south 

 of Santa Clara, in May, the young flying by the 13th of that month, and 

 has given a description of the nest. " It was built in a cavity among 

 the roots of a large tree on a steep bank ; formed of leaves, grasses, and 

 fine root-fibres, and covered outside with an abundant coating of green 

 moss." Another pest that he found Jlay 20th, on the very summit of 

 the mountains, was " slightly sunk in the ground under a fern (Pteris) 

 and formed like the other, but with less moss around the edge ; some 



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