FRINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES. 515 



The only authenticated nest and eggs (10,433) in the Smithsonian collec- 

 tion were received from Mr. R. MacFarlane, with the parent, taken on the 

 Arctic coast east of Fort Anderson, and having on the laljel, " Nest situated 

 in a cave in a sand-bank." The nest is deeply saucer-shaped, and composed 

 of wiry grass-stems, with a few feathers in the lining ; external diameter 

 3.75 inches, internal about 3.00 ; depth, 2.50 externally and 1.50 internally. 

 The eggs, five in number, are of a dull white, with perhaps a faint bluish 

 cast, sprinkled and spattered with dilute yellowish-rufous, the markings most 

 numerous toward the larger end ; they measure .95 of an inch in length by .64 

 in breadth. 



Plectrophanes lapponicus, Selby. 



LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 



"Fringilla lapponica, Linn. Fauna Saecica, 1761, sp. 235." — Ib. Sj'st. Nat. I, 1766, 317. 

 FoRSTER, Phil. Trans. LXII, 1772, 404. JSmberizd {Plectrophanes) lapponica, Sw. 

 F. B. Am. n,1831, 248, pi. xlviii. Emheriza lapponica, AuD. Oin. Biog. IV, 1838, 

 473, pi. 365. Plccirophanes lappomcHS, "Selby," Bon. List, 1838. — Aud. Syu. 1839, 

 98. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 50, pi. 152. — Baikd, Birds >f. Am. 1858, 433.— 

 DALL& Bannister, Tr. Ch. A. S. I, 1869, 283 (Alaska). - Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 178. 

 — Samuels, 300. '' Cenhvphanes lapponicus, Kaup, Entw. Gesch. Europe Thierw. 

 1829." — Cabanls, Mus. Hein. 1851, 127. " Fringilla culcarakt. Pall. Itin. 710, 

 sp. 20," French ed. Ill, 1793, 464, \A. i. Centroplianes calcaratus, Gray, List 

 Gen. 1841, App. 1842, 11. 



Sp. Char. Male. Head all round, and neck black, extending on the jugulum in a 

 crescentic patcli ; a broad line from above and behind the eye, sides of neck, a patch 

 in the black of hind head, and whole under parts, white ; the sides of body streaked 

 broadly with black. A broad half- collar of chestnut on back of neck, separated from 

 the hood narrowly, and from the auriculars and throat broadly, by the white stripe from 

 the eye. Above brownish-black, the feathers sharply edged with brownish-yellow. Outer 

 tail-feathers white, except the basal portion of inner web, and a shaft streak at end; 

 next feather with a white streak in end, rest black. Legs black : bill yellow, tipped with 

 black. Tn winter plumage the black and other markings overlaid by rusty and fulvous; 

 beneath by whitish. Female with the black feath- 

 ers of head edged with yellowish-rusty ; the throat 

 white, bordered on the sides and behind by blackish ; 

 feathers edged with grayish- white, the rufous of nape 

 obscure, and streaked with blacki.sh. Length of male, 

 6.25; Aving, 3.90; tail, 2.80. 



Hab. Northern portions of the Old and the New * ^-^ 



World ; breeding in arctic and snliarctic regions, and 

 in winter descending southward, as far at least as New York, Southern Illinois, and Fort 

 Garland, New Mexico. 



Autumnal specimens, of both sexes, differ in liaving the pattern of colora- 

 tion obscured by ochraceous borders to the feathers, and a general rusty cast 

 to the plumage. 



There appears to be no difference between Xorth American and European 

 specimens of this bird. 



