Cambridge, Mass.
1916
Nov. 22
[November 22, 1916]

Shufeldt's Junco in our Garden.

  A Junco seen in our Garden on the afternoon of Nov. 20 [November 20, 1916]
attracted my attention by its peculiar coloring which led me to
suspect that it might be either oreganus [Junco hyemalis oreganus] or shufeldti [Junco hyemalis shufeldti]. Of this I could
not then make sure for the bird was only imperfectly viewed,
 - flitting beneath overgrown branches in the "Jungle". But early this afternoon
it reappeared and permitted me to watch it closely for many minutes
as it hopped fearlessly along the garden walk in the middle of which I
was standing, at first some ten or fifteen yards away, finally within
not more than five or six feet. All the while it was exposed to clear, 
if pale, November sunlight and accompanied by three other Juncos
typical of hyemalis [Junco hyemalis], a [male] and 2 [females]. Thus the conditions were in every
respect as favorable as they well could have been for noting, accurately
the bird's color and markings and also for comparing it directly
with Juncos of both sexes characteristic of the common eastern
race and in corresponding seasonal plumage. Thus compared it
looked somewhat larger than any of the others and was colored
so unlike them all that the difference was very striking. For it
had a dull black head and neck (somewhat washed with ashy
along the nape), a coal black chest & vinaceous-cinnamon flanks while
its back and scapulars were very strongly tinged with rich, warm
chocolate brown more or less obscured, however, by grayer tinting
Immediately after observing all these details I went into the
museum and looked over very many skins of western Juncos.
Those of the latter which most resembled the living bird (several of
them matched it almost perfectly) are perhaps intergrades between
shufeldti [Junco hyemalis shufeldti] and oreganus [Junco hyemalis oreganus] being somewhat too richly colored for
the former, yet not sufficiently so for the latter. But as one
of them was labelled "shufeldti" not long ago by Mr. Ridgway
it seems safe enough to assume that the bird seen in our garden
should be similarly referred.
  The above notes were written shortly after the second observation was made
Later in the afternoon of the 22nd [November 22, 1916] the four Juncos came (with 2 Peabody birds)
each under my windows, eating millet seed placed there for them