1876. 
Junco hiemalis. 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
Mar, 24. 
Abundant everywhere uttering the song peculiar to 
this season. This is decidedly different from the 
trill used in the breeding sason; it has many sweet, li¬ 
quid notes and sounds as if the bird wore practicing for 
a performance which it never attains. The usual trill 
is given first, followed by a succossion of full, liquid 
notes, then by an attempt at a more elaborate melody 
which is usually broken off suddenly and succeeded by 
the monotonous trill again. Some of these fragemntary 
notes are exceedingly sweet. Sometimes a bird will sud¬ 
denly burst out into a rapid gush of melody, then, as if 
ashamed of his impulsiveness, return to the conventional 
^rill again. All the males in a large flock v/ill some¬ 
times give their exclusive attention to such a rehoarsel 
for hours at a time. It is as if they v^ere trying to 
recall some surpassingly sweet melody which they had 
once heard or used, trying it again and again, sometimes 
nearly catching the clue, but in the end failing to at¬ 
tain it, and, when the mating season begins, giving it 
up and returning to the dull song they feel sure of. 
About a foot of snow fell during the night, drifting 
badly and loading the trees in a wonderful manner, (See 
more extended description under Passerella iliaca ). 
The whole country was literally filled with Juncos this 
morning; I never saw them in anything like such numbers 
before; four or five thousand would be a low estimate 
[ of those which came under my observation during a walk 
I of a few miles and every tree, bush and thicket was lit¬ 
erally filled withthem. Towards noon the snow melted 
along the horse-railroad where the snow-ploughs had re¬ 
moved the greater portion of it previously. Here the 
Juncos resorted in great numbers in company with Pox 
Sparrows, and often for hundreds of yards at a stretch 
they literally covered every inch of the exposed ground 
They have now given up their practicing arble and settled 
down to their summer trill again. 
• 22 . 
Still abundant. 
“ 25. 
" 29. 
Oct. 27. 
Nov. 16. 
1877. 
Oct. 7. 
1879. j 
Saw a few. 
Several small flocks. 
Abundant in largo flocks (Concord), 
One flock (Wtertown), 
Several this morning, the first. 
Forming a large proportion of about five hundred 
Sparrows fe ding on weeds in our garden. 
Apr. 19. 
