WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 231 



of the little brood, the adult will flit restlessly about for 

 an hour with a bug in his bill, which he himself abso- 

 lutely refuses to eat. Finally he compromises by alight- 

 ing in the grass at some distance from the nest, and 

 running under cover to the bush where it is located. 



This species has the red bill of the field sparrow and 

 is said to resemble it in song. 



567c. THURBER JUNCO, OR SIERRA JUNCO. 



Junco oreganus ihurberi. 



Family : The Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 5.60-6.20. 



Adults: Similar to the Oregon junco, but wings and tail longer; head, 



throat, and breast black, sharply denned against light brown of back 



and white of under parts ; sides huffy. 

 Young : Similar to the young of the Oregon junco, only upper parts 



lighter. 

 Geographical Distribution : Sierra Nevada, the desert, and the southern 



coast ranges of California from Oregon to latitude 32°. 

 California Breeding Jinnge : Transition and Boreal zones along the whole 



length of the Sierra Nevada. 

 Breeding Season : April to July 23. 

 Nest : Of dry grasses and bits of moss ; lined with finer materials of the 



same ; placed on the ground, usually under a bush. 

 Eggs : 4 or 5 ; bluish white, spotted with chestnut, red, and lavender, 



forming a ring around the larger end ; a few spots scattered over the 



smaller end. Size 0.71 X 0.58. 



Before the snows had left the sides of Mt. Tallac, I 

 found a nest of the Thurber Junco among the pines at 

 its foot. Hidden snugly under the edge of a log and 

 close by a clump of scarlet snowflower, it might have 

 been secure from all detection had not the calls of the 

 parents attracted my eager prying eyes. When I peeped 

 in, the four nestlings were cuddled down on a bed of 

 red-brown pine needles, so exactly matching their own 



