LAPLAXD HUNTING 557 



white with a chestnut tinge on the throat and chest. Young birds are 

 similarly coloured. After the autumnal moult the beak in both sexes 

 becomes yellow, while the feathers of the upper-parts show broad 

 chestnut edges, which become worn away with use during the winter. 



It is interesting to note that while the cock has developed a pied 

 livery specially adapted for protective purposes on ground dotted over 

 with patches of snow, the hen has not succeeded in entirely discarding 

 the ordinary bunting-colour. 



An inhabitant of the Arctic and sub-Arctic zones of both hemi- 

 spheres, the snow-bunting is chiefly a winter-visitor to the British 

 Islands, frequently making its appearance on the eastern and south- 

 eastern coasts of England in large flocks. In the year 1861 this 

 bunting was discovered nesting in Shetland, and since that date it has 

 been ascertained that it breeds regularly in several parts of Scotland, 

 notably on Ben Nevis. To the Outer Hebrides, where it arrives early 

 in October, it appears, however, to be only a winter- visitor. The 

 nest, which is composed of grass and twigs, with a little moss and a 

 lining of hair and feathers, is placed on the ground, generally in such a 

 position as to be screened from the direct rays of the sun. The eggs, 

 of which the number ranges from five to seven, or even eight, have a 

 ground-colour of grey stone, cream, or bluish white, upon which are spots 

 or streaks of purplish black, with underlying lavender or greyish-violet 

 markings. There is, however, great variation in the eggs, those in 

 which the ground is bluish green approximating to the goldfinch-t\-pe. 



. , , _ ^. On account of the length of the claw of the hind-toe, 



Lapland Buntmg , . , , , % , . , r , t , , 



, , which exceeds that of the toe itself, the Lapland 



, bunting (together with two allied North American 

 lappomeus). . ^ . ^ , , ,, ^ 



species) IS frequentl}' separated generically from the 



snow-bunting, under the name of Calcarius lappoiiiciis ; but such 



distinction is perhaps unnecessar}-. 



In addition to the length of the hind-claw, the cock is characterised 



as follows : — Contrasting sharply with the black head and throat, a 



white line runs behind the ear-coverts from above the e}-e to join the 



white of the breast ; a further contrast being made by a broad 



chestnut band on the back and sides of the neck ; on the rest of the 



upper-parts the feathers are dark brown, with reddish -brown edges 



deepening to chestnut on the greater wing-coverts and inner secondary 



quills ; while the white under-parts are streaked on the breast and 



flanks with black. In hens the crown of the head is blackish brown 



and the throat white ; the lower part of the ear-coverts, a stripe running 



