380 Birds of Colorado 
the ground and concealed with care and cunning, only 
the smallest aperture being left for the entrance and 
exit of the bird ; it is generally placed under the shelter 
of some shrub or among its roots, under which a slight 
excavation in made; it is constructed of coarse grass, 
lined with finer material, and sometimes hair or feathers 
as well.” The eggs are four or five in number; they 
are white or faint whitish-green, finely speckled with red, 
which becomes thicker at the larger end, but the amount 
of red freckling varies a good deal even with eggs from 
the same clutch. They measure about ‘83 x ‘60. 
Red-backed Junco. Junco dorsalis. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 570a—Colorado Records—Morrison 89, p. 38; 
Cooke 97, p. 106. 
Description.—Very similar to J. caniceps, but the patch on the back 
is of a darker and richer shade of chestnut-brown, and the under-parts 
are much paler grey throughout; the bill is larger, and the upper 
mandible blackish instead of yellow. Length 5-80; wing 3-20; 
tail 3-05; culmen -48; tarsus -80. 
Distribution.—Breeding on the high mountains of New Mexico and 
Arizona; southwards in winter to northern Mexico and western 
Texas. 
Morrison found a large flock of this Junco on the banks of La 
Plata River in the extreme south-west corner of Colorado, in the spring 
of 1887. This is the only record for the State, but as it is common 
in Arizona and New Mexico, it is probably not infrequent in the southern 
part of Colorado ; its similarity to J. caniceps has doubtless caused it 
to be overlooked. 
Three intermediate forms must be here mentioned, 
each of which seems to connect two comparatively well 
characterized species. They may be regarded as inter- 
grades between what are not really true distinct species 
or as simple hybrids. They have all three been described 
under distinct names :— 
Junco connectens = J. hyemalis x J. shufeldti. 
Junco hiemalis connectens Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed., 
p. 378 (1884). 
