516 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Habits. The Lajilaud Lonnspur is an Arctic resident, belonging equally 

 to the two continents, rarely descending even in winter to temperate regions, 

 and then chiefly in its inuuature plumage. In Europe, according to Yarrell, 

 only a few specimens have been found in the British Islands, and these 

 were single individuals, mostly found in comjiany with Larks. They have 

 also been taken in France, iu Belgium, and in dift'eient parts of Germany. 

 Deglaud .states that these birds are occasionally snared on the coast at Dun- 

 kirk, and in the neighborhood of Antwerp, but these are always young 

 males in tiieir winter plumage. 



Pennant states that it is found in Siberia, and near the Ural Mountains, 

 migrating in the winter as far south as Switzerland ; and, according to 

 Necker, they have also been taken, always in company with Larks, in the 

 vicinity of Geneva. It inhabits Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Spitz- 

 bergen, Iceland, and Greenland, in the summer. 



Kichardson mentions that the Lapland Bunting is common in the fur re- 

 gions, wintering on the coast of Hudson's Bay. During its stay it feeds on 

 grass-seed, the fruit of the juniper, and the pines. As lie never met with 

 these birds during the winter, he suspects that their princi])al retreats are on 

 the borders of Lakes Huron and Superior, and the country westward. In 

 1827 they appeared on the jjlains, at the Carlton House, about the middle 

 of May, in very large flocks, in company with Shore Larks and the P. inda, 

 frequenting the o]ien spots where the fires had destroyed the grass. In 

 the same season tiiey came a few days later to the Cumljcrland House, and 

 kept constantly about the furrows of tlie new-ploughed fields. Tlie year 

 before they had been, in smaller fiocks, in the vicinity of Fort Franklin, 

 latitude 65°, in the l^eginuing of May. Tlieir crops were fnund filled with 

 seeds of the alpine arbutus. 



Mr. Audubon met with them in enormous flocks in Kentiu'ky, about Feb- 

 ruary 15, 1819. They were in company with the Shore Larks and the Snow 

 Buntings. Xone of these were in perfect plumage. 



Mr. Iiidgway cites this as a common winter visitant in So\illicrn IlHnois, 

 abundant in unusually severe winters, either in large Hocks liy itself, or a 

 few individuals mi.xed up in flocks of Shore Larks. 



Mr. Dall gives May 12 as the date of the first arrival of these liirds at 

 Xulato, and adds that it is not at any time a vcrj' common liird. He was 

 not alile to find its nest at Xulato, l)ut was informed 1:)y the Indians that it 

 builds on the bare hillsides, in hillocks of grass, and that it does not leave the 

 nest when any one approaches, but sits perfectly still, and thus often e.scapes 

 detection. He considers it a very fine singer. Sjiecimens were received from 

 Sitka, obtained by Bischoff. To this account j\Ir. Bannister adds that it is 

 by far the most abundant of the land-birds found at St. Michael's. It ap- 

 l)eared on that island about the Gth of j\Iay, and fi-om that time until about 

 the middle or latter part of September they were observed in great numbers 

 all over the island. He, too, was not successful in finding its nest, thoiigh 



