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GENUS PLECTEOPHENAX. 



SNOW-BUNTING. 



Plectrophenax nivalis (Linnaeus). 



Local Names — Shore-Lark, Sea-Lark, S)ioichird, Snow- 

 flakc. 



A winter visitor, occurring in flocks most commonly 

 along the coast, and frequenting many inland localities 

 as well, both the tops of the highest hills, and waste 

 places on the lower grounds. In ordinary weather not 

 more than a score are usually seen together, but in 

 strong frosts the flocks often contain as many as a 

 hundred birds, which then consort with Larks, Linnets, 

 and other species of like habits. Mr. T. Jackson 

 informs me that near Sunderland point they come as 

 soon as the ground gets covered with snow, a few at 

 first, and then hundreds if the weather continues frosty ; 

 their favourite food being the Glasswort {Salieornia) 

 which grows plentifully there on the marshes, and is 

 bared by the receding tide. He writes : " they are so 

 tame from hunger that you could almost knock them 

 down with a stick, and as soon as the frost is over, we 

 never see more of them." Mr. John Weld says that 

 large flocks are found most winters on the tops of the 

 hills in Chipping and Bleasdale, after the first heavy fall 

 of snow, and that on November 18th 1878, a band of at 

 least a hundred was seen on Parlick. In the severe 

 winter of 1879 Mr, H. Miller saw very many on Has- 

 lingden Moors and Hapton Scouts ; they being so tame 

 that they came to pick the remnants from the horse- 

 feed as the carts were being loaded with stone at the 

 quarries. Mr. John Hardy says they occur in varying 



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