314 



ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



slightly emarginate and rounded ; feathers rather nam w, oval at the end , no streaks 

 on the head or body ; 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. In 

 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 HTEMALIS. — Sclater. 



The Snowbird. 



Fnngilla hyemaUs, Linnaeus. SystNat, I. (10th ed., 1758) 183. Aud.Orn.Biog., 

 . (1831)72; Y. 505. 



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

 Fringilla nivalis. Wils., II. (1810) 129. 



Description. 



Everywhere 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 

 in fall returns to its winter 

 home. A few pairs breed in 

 Massachusetts on the Holyoke 

 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 fig. 

 Song Sparrow, lower fig. 



