22 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



the interior plains of North America east of the 

 Rocky Mountains from the Arctic coast in sum- 

 mer south to Texas in winter, is very similar to 

 the Lapland, but has a slenderer and more 

 pointed bill. The Chestnut-collared Loncjspur 

 (Calcariiis onmtiis) differs from the other two 

 species in having the tail much shorter than the 

 distance from the carpal or wrist joint of the 

 wing to the end of the wing-quills. The Chest- 

 nut-collared is also an inhabitant of the great 

 plains of the United States, but instead of ex- 

 tending his range to the north he prefers Mexico. 

 A relative of this family — so close a relative 

 that he has adopted the family name for popular 

 use — is McCown's Longspur ( RliynclwpJmiics 



dent. In the winter they come down to the north- 

 ern States to stay only as long as the n(jrthern 

 barrens are swept by the unbearable storms. 

 While here they are seen in the most numbers in 

 broad prairie lands and along the wide sloping 

 mountain meadows. In the East they are not as 

 commonly seen, but many Snowflake flocks have 

 a few Longspurs. The Shore Larks that feed up 

 and down the wintry seashore of New England 

 and the middle States have also many Longspurs 

 among them. 



Toward spring the male becomes a beautiful 

 bird with his black head and breast. He is the 

 most conspicuous creature of the northern bar- 

 rens when he reaches there in April. Louis A. 



(J'-urtcsy ul Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 LAPLAND LONGSPUR (] nat. size) 

 In April he is the most conspicuous creature of the northern barrens 



mccozvtii). He is fotmd on the interior plains of 

 North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. 

 His bill is much larger and relatively thicker and 

 his tail relatively shorter than in his cousins. His 

 nostrils are nearly concealed by well developed 

 soft feathers. The Lapland Longspur and its 

 varieties, the Alaska and Siberian Longspurs 

 {Calcariiis laj^poniciis alascciisis and Calcariiis 

 lappoiiiciis colorahis), inhabit a broad subarctic 

 belt around the world during the breeding season. 

 In North America the Alaska occupies the 

 northwestern tundras east to the Mackenzie 

 country. From there east to northern Labrador 

 and Greenland the species is the same as the one 

 that extends across northern Europe and east into 

 western .Siberia. It derives its name from Jhat 

 part of the northern Russian tundras called Lap- 

 land. The differences noted in America between 

 the Alaska and Lapland are so slight that they 

 may be generally disregarded by the casual stu- 



Euerte.- said after an Alaskan trip, that the Long- 

 spur sang the most beautiful song north of Bobo- 

 link-land. Edward \\'. Nelson has given nuich 

 time to the study of the bird. " The Lajiland 

 Longspur is one of the few birds, which, like 

 the Skylark and the Bobolink, are so filled with 

 the ecstasy of life in spring that they must rise 

 into the air to pour forth their joy in singing. 

 The males are scattered here and there over the 

 tundra on their chosen jtrojecting points and at 

 frequent intervals mount slowly on tremulous 

 wings ten or fifteen yards into the air. There 

 they pause a moment and then, with wings up- 

 pointed, forming V-shaped fi,gures. they float 

 gently back to their perches, uttering, as they 

 sing, their liquid notes, which fall in tinkling 

 succession on the ear. It is an exquisite, slightly 

 jingling melody . . . resembling the song of the 

 Bobolink." 



L. Nelsox Nichols. 



