186 NATUEAL HISTOliY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



buffy-yellow. The chestnut cervical colhxr varies from dark to light, aud the general color of the 

 back in some birds is very dark, while in others it is much lighter, though this depends to a great 

 extent on the amount of wearing the feathers have undergone. Birds from Labrador aud Green- 

 land appear to be uuiformly darker thau the majority of Alaskan examples, but the small series 

 in the National Museum collection from the tirst named regions does not suffice for a satisfactory 

 comparison. It would be interesting to compare a large series of this bird from various parts of 

 its exteuded habitat aud ascertain the amount of geographical variation. 



The Lapland Lougspur winters in various parts of Central Europe, through Asia to Cbiua aud 

 Jaj^an, and iu the United States, where its distribution at this season is well known. 



Calcarius PiCTUS (Swains.). Smith's Longspur. 



This species has been taken at Fort Yukon by Strachau Jones, but there is no other recoi d 

 of its occurrence iu the Territory, though its abundance in the adjoining Mackenzie River district 

 renders it extremely probable that it occurs more or less regularly in the neighboring portions of 

 Alaska. Next to the two preceding species the present bird is the most northerly in its distri- 

 bution of the species in this group; it differs, however, from the Snow Bunting and Longspur in its 

 narrowly-restricted range. 



It breeds on the northern shores and thi'ough the northern central districts of British America, 

 and penetrates during winter into the Mississippi Valley and interior plains of the United States, 

 turning towards its northern haunts at the iirst approach of spring. In Northern Illinois it passes 

 to the north by the last of March or first of April, just as it is commencing to assume spring liv- 

 ery. That the sj^ecies passes through a spring moult is certain, since a number of specimens, 

 secured by me, were in the first stages of this moult. 



The biography of this species is, as yet, almost entirely unknown ; we possess a few facts of 

 its distribution, and some skins of the birds in breeding plumage, with their eggs, have reached 

 the National Museum from the Lower Anderson River, close to the Arctic shore. 



According to Dr. Coues, it arrives in Northern Dakota the last of September, and associates 

 with Calcarius ornatus. I have found it passing north through Northern Illinois the last of Man h 

 and first of April. There is about the same rauge of variation in the markings and intensity of 

 color among these birds as occurs iu the Lapland Longspur. The autumnal plumage of the young 

 is well described by Dr. Coues iu Birds of the Northwest, p. 121. 



Ammodramus SANDWiCHENSis (Guiel.). Sandwich Sparrow. 



This species occurs during summer along the entire Aleutian chain and the island of Kadiali, 

 in addition to the southeastern shore of the Territory. Dall cites it from Unalaska, where he 

 found it numerous, as he did also thence to the eastward ; but he did not find it to the west of 

 that island. On the Shumagius this Sparrow was fouud to be rather common. At Unalaska, the 

 10th of May, 1877, I found it common. It had just arrived from the south, and on the 15th of the 

 same month it was seen at Sanak Island, over 100 miles to the eastward. 



It was ascertained to prefer the rocky beaches, where, like Melospiza cinerea, it was certain to 

 be found at all times, but it frequently occurred on grassy flats. Its song was a short, weak suc- 

 cession of notes, somewhat similar to those of alaudinus, which latter bird I did not see at this 

 point. According to Bean, it was common at Belkovsky, on Aliaska Peninsula, the last of July, 

 1880, and a spring and summer resident ou the Near Islands. 



Nothing is known of its bi-eeding habits, aud its wintering ground is but slightly known. 



It has been recorded from California in wiuter. Mr. Henshaw secured several specimens iu 

 Middle Oregon, and other uaturalists have found them elsewhere along the coast of Oregon aud 

 Washington Tei-ritory. In the History of North American Birds, I, p. 539, Ba ird, Brewer, and Eidg- 

 way say : 



Specimeus of tbis race from Sitka are absolutely midistinguisbable from eastern sarutina, except iu size, tbe 

 colors and proportious of bill being the same. A young bird from Kadiak differs from that of savanna iu larger size, 

 aud bright reddish-fulvous tinge to upper parts, and deep yellowish-fulvous tiuge on jugulura and along tbe sides. 

 This variety is the northwest coast form of tbe common Savanna Sparrow, and is fouud during the summer from 

 Oregon to Alaska. 



