254 



MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



and I have seen them follow the edge of the wave, hurriedly receding like Sand- 

 pipers before its advance. Their short legs and long tails give them of course 

 an entirely different appearance. On November ist, 1903, I found a flock of 

 American Dunlins and a flock of Snow Buntings feeding together on the beach, 

 both getting up and flying off together, although each species kept by itself. 



One cannot watch a flock of these white birds, fitfully rising together and 

 whirling about, without being reminded of the driving flakes of snow. I must 

 object, however, to the modern ambiguous name of " Snowflake " for this bird, 

 because when one speaks of seeing in our changeable winter weather a dozen 

 snowflakes, even an ornithologist may be in doubt whether birds are referred 

 to or not. The good old name Snow Bunting seems to me far better, for then 

 there is no ambiguity, and the name Bunting fits well the bird's stout form. 



The notes of the Snow Bunting are frequently emitted when flying and 

 also occasionally from the ground. They consist of a sweet single or double 

 whistling note, and a characteristic melodious trill, which often follows the single 

 notes. At times, especially when the birds are chasing each other, they give 

 forth a rasping tzee. I have several times heard this bird's notes in winter in 

 the early morning when it was still too dark to distinguish colors. Thus on 

 December 6th, 1903, the birds were flying about, feeding and calling at 6.20 

 A. M.; the first Crow did not call until 6.30 and the Chickadees and a Red-bel- 

 lied Nuthatch were not to be heard until 6.50. Sunrise was at 7.01. This 

 habit of early feeding while it is still dark may perhaps be acquired in the short 

 days of the far north. 



Snow Buntings are easily distinguished by their arctic plumage. The 

 white of the secondaries is especially noticeable in flight, while the white wing 

 coverts are prominent when the birds are on the ground. The wearing off of 

 the brown feather-tips — the veiling — makes the spring birds beautifully black 

 and white, while the early arrivals in the autumn are often quite brown. 



218 [536] Calcarius lapponicus (Linn.). 

 Lapland Longspur. 



Winter visitor, common in the autumn and early winter, very rare in late 

 winter and spring ; October 9 to May i . 



'Whether the habits of this bird are changing or not I cannot say, but the 

 above description, applicable to-day, is very different from the one based on 

 observations of former years. Thus Mr. Maynard tells me that in the years 



