314 BIRDS OF ONTAKIO. 



Nest, umler a tussock of grass. Imilt ot moss and tine <hieil grass, lineil with 

 a few feathers. 



I'vggs. four or five, greenish-gi-ay, which color is nearly obscured liy a heavy 

 mottling of oliocolate-browii. 



Like the SnowHake, the present species is common to l)oth con- 

 tinents. They come and go together and keep company while here ; 

 but at all times the Snowtiakes far exceed the others in numbers. 



The male Longspur, in full breeding plumage, is a very handsome 

 bird. It is seldom found in Ontario in this dress, but some years 

 ago, two young men who were collecting at Mitchell's Bay, met with 

 quite a large flodk in the month of May, and got some very fine 

 specimens, several of which came into my possession. All those I 

 have met with have been in winter dress, in which state the colors 

 are obscured by the black feathers of the head and breast being 

 tipped with yellowish-gray. 



Here again we have pleasure in taking a summer chapter from 

 the life of this interesting bird as observed in Alaska. " Like the 

 preceding species, the Lapland Longspur is a widely-spread circum- 

 polar bird, whose presence is recorded from nearly every point visited 

 by the explorers along the shores of the Arctic coast. It is found 

 breeding in Iceland, Greenland, and on nearly all those islands lying 

 in the icy sea just north of the continental mainlands. In the 

 territory covered by the present paper, it is an extremely abundant 

 and familiar bird, found, perhaps, more numerously upon the main- 

 land, but also known from the various islands of Behring Sea. 

 Regarding its presence on the Seal Islands, Elliott tells us : ' This 

 bird is the vocalist jjor excfUfnce of the Pribilov group, singing all 

 through the month of June in the most exquisite manner, rising 

 high in the air and ho\ering on fluttering wings aboNc its sitting 

 mate. The song is so sweet that it is ahvavs too shoi't.'" 



(iKNUs POOC^TES B.Miii). 

 POOC^TES GRAMINEUS (Cmkl.). 



l'lM. Vesper Sparrow. (;">K)) 



Thickly streakeil eveiywhere above, on sides and across l)reasl ; no yellow 

 anywhere ; lesser wing coverts, i-hi-xtmit, and one to tlwee outei' pairs of tail 

 feathers partly or wholly white; alxive, grayish-biown, tlie streaking dusky and 

 brown with grayish-white; below, white, usually bufl'y-tinged, the streaks very 



