LAPLAND BUNTING. 19 



most southern locality known for the species in America at 

 that season, though Mr. Trippe's observations in Minnesota 

 induce him (Proc. Essex Inst. vi. pp. 113-119) to think 

 that it may breed in that State. Richardson states that it 

 breeds in moist meadows on the shores of the Arctic Sea, 

 and that is also the case along the west coast of Green- 

 land, while the German Expedition obtained it full sum- 

 mer-dress at Shannon Island on the east coast. Mr. 

 Dresser was informed by Herr Benzon that he had received 

 its eggs from Iceland, but the species must be rare in that 

 island if indeed there be more than the one unquestion- 

 able instance of its occurrence, in 1821, as recorded by 

 Faber. 



The line of this bird's migration has been supposed to 

 lie a good deal to the eastward, for though, as already said, 

 it is in summer pretty widely distributed in Norway and 

 Lapland its occurrence at other seasons has been but seldom 

 recorded in the western part of the continent of Europe. 

 This remark applies even to the lowlands of Central and 

 Southern Norway and Sweden, and it has only been observed 

 as an irregular autumnal visitor to Denmark, many districts 

 in Germany, Holland, Belgium and France. But on the 

 other hand this apparent rarity is most likely due to its 

 being overlooked in those countries, since Mr. Cordeaux, on 

 Mr. Gatke's authority, says that in Heligoland it is so com- 

 mon in autumn as not to be considered worth shooting. In 

 severe winters it has been met with much further to the 

 southward, even in the neighbourhood of Montpellier, as 

 well as in Piedmont and in Lombard} 7 , but it does not seem 

 to reach Central Italy. Its occurrence near Geneva was 

 long ago recorded by Necker, and further eastward it has 

 been met with in the Vienna market and at Lemberg. In 

 Central and Southern Russia it is said to be very rare, but 

 about Moscow and Jaroslav a few are met with in spring 

 and autumn, but not every year. Across the Ural — which 

 chain of mountains it has from the time of Pennant been 

 known to frequent, while it has even been supposed to breed 

 near Ekaterincburg — it becomes more abundant, and, accord- 



