224 LAPLAND BUNTING. 



to 75° N., in Jan ^Nlayen, Arctic Europe (Kolguev abundantly, 

 Vaigatch, Novaya Zemlya and Franz, Josef Land sparingly), Arctic 

 Asia to the Liakov Islands, and in Arctic America. To Iceland, 

 however, it is merely a wanderer from Greenland, while it has not 

 been recorded from Spitsbergen. It is only at considerable eleva- 

 tions, such as the Dovrefjeld in Norway, that it is found breeding 

 to the south of the Arctic circle ; but it becomes abundant in 

 Lapland, while in Northern Siberia it is, perhaps, the commonest 

 bird on the tundras. In Asia it migrates further south than in 

 Europe, and reaches 30° N. lat. in China; whereas it is rare in 

 South Russia or Northern Italy, and unknown in Spain. In Central 

 Europe its occurrences are accidental, but further north they are 

 more frequent, and are regular on Heligoland in autumn. In 

 North America this species breeds up to lat. 73°, and winters in 

 South Carolina, Kansas and Colorado. 



Swampy moorlands — beyond the limit of forest growth — with 

 tussocks of grass and stunted willows or birches, are the favourite 

 summer-haunts of the Lapland Bunting, but occasionally it inhabits 

 dry and bushy spots. The nest, built early in June, is placed in a 

 hollow of some little mound or grass-clump, and is made of dry 

 bents and roots, but its thick lining of feathers at once distinguishes 

 It from nests of the Red-throated Pipit and other birds frequenting 

 such localities. The 4-6 eggs are pale greyish- or reddish-brown, 

 spotted, blotched and slightly scrawled with darker shades of brown : 

 measurements "82 by "58 in. The song of the male is generally 

 uttered on the wing ; the bird rising from some low bush, and 

 hovering above it, like a Tree-Pipit. The call-note is a plaintive 

 whistle. The food consists of insects as well as seeds in summer, 

 and of the latter, with larvfe, in winter. 



The adult male in summer has the crown, cheeks, throat and 

 breast black ; a broad white streak over each eye and down the 

 sides of the neck ; hind neck broadly banded with bright chestnut ; 

 feathers of the back, rump, wing-coverts and secondaries tawny- 

 brown, with blackish centres and paler margins ; quills dull brown ; 

 tail-feathers dark brown, with long white patches on the inner webs 

 of the two outer pairs ; belly white, with broad black streaks on the 

 flanks ; bill yellow, with the point black ; legs black ; hind claw 

 nearly straight, and longer than the toe. Length 6-25 in.; wing 3'6 in. 

 In the female the crown, ear-coverts and chestnut collar are streaked 

 with brown and black ; the upper parts paler ; throat white, with an 

 irregular blackish gorget. The young bird is still duller in colour. 

 In winter both sexes have pale rufous margins to the upper feathers. 



