The Snow- Bunting 135 



and Ireland, this bird is decidedly commoner in Scotland, where a few pairs remain 

 to breed : the first nest being obtained in the Shetlands by Saxb}-, on Juh- and, 

 1 86 1. In Jul}', 1886, Messrs. Peach and Hinanian found nest and 3-oung in 

 Sutherlandshire, and in June, 1888, Mr. John Young discovered a nest with five 

 eggs. I believe it was obtained later by Mr. W. R. O. Graut. In 1903 nests 

 were found on the spurs of the Grampians, stretching southwards between Raunoch 

 and Glen Lyon, and in 1905 on a mountain still further south. 



The adult male in breeding-plumage has the mantle, scapulars, inner second- 

 aries, terminal half of primaries, lour central tail-feathers and greater part of the 

 next pair black ; the outer webs edged with white ; outer feathers mostly white ; 

 centre of lower back and rump black (with white edges to the feathers) but the 

 sides white ; remainder of plumage white ; beak and feet leaden-black ; iris deep 

 hazel. The female has all the black parts of the plumage grej'er, and with pale 

 edges to the feathers, the head and neck mottled with blackish. After the autumn 

 moult the feathers of the upper surface, breast, and flanks are bordered with dull 

 chestnut, which gradually changes to white during the winter, and the beak 

 becomes orange-ochreous tipped with blackish. The young are greyish, with dark 

 centres to most of the feathers, but the wings and tail resembling the autumn 

 plumage of the adults. 



This bird has received many trivial names, such as— The Lesser Pied Mountain 

 Finch, The Snow-bird from Hudson's Bay, The Tawny Bunting, The IMountain 

 Bnnting, The Lorraiu Bunting ; but its prettiest name (and that by which it is 

 almost as well-known as Snow- Bunting) is Snow-flake. 



Seebohm writes respecting the habits of this bird as follows : — " The flight of 

 the Snow-Bunting is peculiar, and is something like that of a butterfly, as if the 

 bird altered its mind ever}' few seconds as to which direction it wished to take. 

 It can scarcely be called an undulating flight. The bird certainly does rest its 

 wings every few seconds ; but either they are expanded when at rest, or they are 

 rested for so short a time that the plane of flight is not sufficiently altered to 

 warrant its being called undulating. The Snow-Bunting is almost entirely a 

 ground-feeder, and is consequently continually seen on the ground. These birds 

 run along the snow with the celerity of a Wagtail on a sand-bank ; but the}- can 

 hop as easily as a Sparrow, and I have very often seen them do so. The idea 

 that they seldom or never perch on trees is a mistake, which has no doubt arisen 

 from the circumstance that on the steppes, where they delight to winter, and on 

 the tundra, where the}' breed, there are no trees. In the valley of the Petchora, 

 we had abundant opportunity of seeing them in trees." (Hist. Brit. Birds, Vol. II, 

 pp. 127-128). 



