Alaskan Longspur 351 



will very probably be found in Colorado, though not yet recorded from 

 the State. It can be distinguished by its buffy abdomen. The other 

 two can easily be diagnosed as follows : — 



Key of the Species. 



A. Outer tail-feathers dusky at base on both webs. 



C. 1. alascensis, p. 3.51. 



B. Outer tail-feathers pure white at base. C. ornatus, p. 352. 



Alaskan Longspur. Calcarius lapponicus alascensis. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 536a — Colorado Records — Trippe 74, p. 120 ; 

 Ridgway 79, p. 228 ; Morrison 89, p. 36 ; Cooke 97, pp. 100, 214 ; 

 Brunner 06, p. 85. 



Description. — Male in winter— General colour above pale buffy, 

 streaked with black, darkest on the head ; a collar of buf5y-chestnut 

 across the hind-neck ; stripe behind the eye and the ear-coverts pale 

 bufi, both bordered below by a black patch ; wings dusky, middle- 

 coverts and secondaries bordered with rufous ; tail dusky, the two 

 outer pair of feathers chiefly white, except the base of the inner and 

 tip of the outer web ; below white with a black patch on the tiiroat and 

 chest, sometimes obscured by the white tips to the feathers ; flanks 

 streaked with black ; bill pale horn, dusky tipped. Length 5-75 ; 

 wing 3-63 ; tail 2-55 ; culmen 45 ; tarsus -80 ; hind toe and claw -80 ; 

 claw slender and straight. 



In summer the head and chest become pure black by the wearing 

 away of the tips of the feathers, and the chestnut collar becomes 

 brighter and purer. The female is slightly smaller than the male — wing 

 3-50 ; in winter the head is not darker than the back, the chestnut 

 nuchal collar is absent or very faintly marked, and the black area of 

 the chest is merely streaked with a few dusky markings. The summer 

 female is like the winter male, but the markings are more sharply 

 defined. The Colorado birds are now referred to this subspecies, which 

 differs from the typical form in its lighter colour and less heavily 

 streaked back. 



Distribution. — Breeding throughout Alaska and Yukon province ; 

 south in winter to Nevada, Colorado and western Kansas. 



The Alaskan Longspur is a rather scarce winter visitor chiefly to the 

 plains of eastern Colorado, though sometimes passing up to the lower 

 moimtain parks. Trippe (74) saw a large flock in Middle Park in Octo- 

 ber and Cooke records it from Breckenridge (March 21st, during a snow- 

 storm, Carter) and from Wet Mountain VaUey (8,000 feet. Baker), 

 while there is a large series in the Aiken collection obtained in January, 

 1877, in the neighbourhood of Colorado Springs ; Warren killed four near 

 Orchard on March 27th, 1909, where they were associated with Horned 



