OF NEW ENGLAND. 185 



former bird, or even those of the latter. Their song is quite 

 like the Yellow Bird's (C. tristis), but is distinct, since all 

 their oi'dinary notes are introduced. 



The winters when these happy, pretty little birds are com- 

 mon are always mnch enlivened by their presence, and those 

 years are richer for the naturalist, which bring us visits from 

 the Arctic birds. 



VI. LINOTA 



(A) BREwsTERi^^ Breivstev's Linnet. 



(One specimen, not clearly referable to any known species 

 or variety, was obtained by Mr. William Brewster, at Waltham, 

 Mass., from a flock of common "red-polls.") 



(a). It is described as follows in Messrs. Baird, Brewer, & 

 Ridgway's " North American Birds." 



" General appearance somewhat that of ^^. Unarms, but no 

 red on the crown, and the sides and rump tinged with sulphur- 

 yellow ; no black gular spot. 9 ad. Ground-color above 

 light umber, becoming sulphur yellow on the rump, each feather, 

 even on the crown, with a distinct medial stripe of dusky. 

 Beneath white, tinged with fulvous yellow anteriorly and along 

 the sides ; sides and crissum streaked with dusky. Wings 

 and tail dusk}' ; the former with two pale fulvous bands ; the 

 secondaries, primaries, and tail-feathers narrowly skirted with 

 whitish sulphur-yellow. A dusky loral spot, and a rather dis- 

 tinct lighter superciliary stripe. Wing 3-00 ; tail 2*50 ; tarsus 

 •50 ; middle toe, -30. Wing formula, 1, 2, 3, etc." 



VII. PLECTROPHANES 



(A) NIVALIS. Snoiu Bunting. ^^ " Snoio-Jlake." 

 (An inhabitant of the " far North," visiting New England 

 in winter, in large assemblies.) 



(a). 6^-7 inches long. In the breeding-season, pure white 



'^ Since named ^t/iothii.i flavirostris var. Brewsteri. 



^^ Sometimes called ''White Snow-bird," in distinction to the so-called Black or 

 Blue Snow-bird. 



