318 BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



scattered flocks, giving out a feeble ncte, ran rapidly on the 

 ground, and when they take wing, generally move high and 

 far before they alight. Some of them spend the winter in 

 Pennsylvania, and they abound at that season in the southern 

 states. Those which pass through our State in the autumn, 

 are all young ; nothing is known of the old birds, though Lab- 

 rador is one of the places where they rear their young. 



GRANIVOROUS, OR PASSERINE BIRDS. 



The Shore Lark, Alanda alpestris, is a pretty bird, which 

 comes to us from the north at the approach of winter, and, if 

 the season closes early, is seen here in October, on its way to 

 the middle states. If the season is mild, they sometimes re- 

 main here, and those which proceed, seldom go farther south 

 than Maryland. While here, they fly high, in loose scattered 

 flocks, and have a single note, resembling that of the sky-lark 

 of England. Their food seems to consist of seeds and the lar- 

 vae of insects, which they find on the ground, or on fences 

 where they sometimes alight, though they never perch on a 

 tree. They pass the night on the earth, in small parties, near 

 tufts of dry grass. When they are alarmed, all take wing, and 

 after flying round for a short time, return to the same place 



again. 



Audubon describes the nest of this bird, which he found in 

 the moss at Labrador, and tells us that the song of the male at 

 that season is very sweet. 



The Snow Bunting, Embcriza nivalis. As soon as winter 

 reigns " sole monarch of the inverted year," these birds come, 

 riding on the snow-storms, and are seen in parties sweeping over 

 the desolate country. Sometimes they alight on trees, some- 

 times on fences, and are even familiar enough to take their 



