248 ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



western shores of Soiitb America.* In fact, this bird seems really to be 

 not so very distantly" related to those groups of the same family which 

 have been considered i)e(;nliar to the New World, and v. Kittlitz was 

 not so very far out of the way in his generic determination as he perhaps 

 might seem to be. 



112. Plectrophenax nivalis (Linn.). 



175H. — Emberiza niralis LiN., Syat. Nat , 10 ed., 1, p. 17G. — Pall., Zoogr. Ross. Asiat., II, 

 p. 32 {18'i6).—Plectroj)liants v. Midd., Sibir. Reise, (II, 2, p. 136) (1^53).— 

 SCHRENCK, Reise Amurl., I, p. 275 (1860). — Radde, Reisen Siiden Ost-Sibir. 

 (p. 156) (1863).— SwiNH., P. Z. S., 1863, p. 301.— W., ibid., 1871, p.389.— M, 

 Ibis, 1875, p. 451.— DvBow. »& Parvkx, J. f. Oru.. 1868, p. 335.— FiNSCH, Abh. 

 Nat. Ver. Bremen, III, 1872, p. 54.— Taozan., J. f. Orn., 1873, p. 86.— Id., 

 ibid., 1»74, p. 335.— M, Orn. Fauna Vost. Sibir., p. 35 (1877).— /fZ., Bull. 

 Soc. ZooL France, 1876, p. 174.— M, ibid., 1882, p. .393.— CouES in Elliot, Aff. 

 Alaska, p. 176 (1875).— Harting, Fauna Piybilov, p. 17 (1875).— Blakist. 

 & Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 244.— itrf.. Trans. As. Soc. Japan, VIII, 1880, p. 

 231.— /«;., ibid., X, 1882, p. 172.— Adams, Ibis, 1878, p. 426.— Bolau, J. f. 

 Orn., 1881, p. 60.— Id., ibid., 1882, p. 336.— Elliott, Monogr. Seal-Lsl, p. 128 

 (1882).— Bean, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1'582, p. 149.— Nelsux, Cruise Corwin, 

 p. 68 (1883). — Blakist., Amend. List B.Jap., p. 62 (1884). — Plectrophenax 

 n. Turner, Auk, 1885, p. 157. 



The snow-bunting is the '■'■ sniegirok'" (plur. sniegirM) of the natives, 

 and is one of the few passerine birds which are resident on the islands 

 during the whole year. It juust at once be remarked, however, that 

 only a few remain during the winter, feeding upon what the beach may 

 offer, contenting themselves for the greater part with Gammaridce and 

 other small crustaceans, while the bulk emigrates at the beginning of 

 the cold season. During the whole winter single individuals, or two 

 together, but never even small flocks, were seen at low tide on the sandy 

 beaches close to the water's edge, being at that time just as much a 

 "limic'oline" l)ird as Actodroman couesi, both in respect to food and the 

 locality. During this season thej' were silent, and even more shy, per- 

 haps, than usual, but from the beginning of March the males would 

 commence practicing to find out if they had forgotten the song of the 

 foregoing year. The snow-bunting has a])retty voice, and when I again 

 heard its sweet cadences after the long winter on the storm-beaten 



'I lefer hen! especially to PAri/^i^ws i/nicoioc (D'Orbign.), the male of wliich, in 

 general coloration and size, is an almost perfect counterpart of my specimen. In fact, 

 the likeness is so great that a superficial observer might take them for the same or 

 very nearly related species, and any one adopting color as the leading characteristic 

 of the genera would be forced to put E. variabilis from Japan into the South Ameri- 

 can genus Phriigilus, 



