LAPLAND BUNTING. 21 



the head velvet-black*, with the exception of a streak of 

 yellowish-white which, beginning at the nostril, runs on 

 either side over the eyes, where it becomes a broad stripe, 

 and passes above and behind the ear-coverts to the sides of 

 the neck whence it turns downward to the throat ; beneath 

 this stripe a collar of bright chestnut, widest on the nape of 

 the neck, extends forward to a point on either side ; the 

 back, rump and upper wing-coverts, dark brown with lighter 

 edges, those of the smaller wing-coverts being whitish, the 

 rest reddish-brown, which becomes almost chestnut on 

 those of the greater coverts and tertials ; the other flight- 

 feathers blackish-brown, with a narrow light outer margin ; 

 the tail-feathers also blackish-brown, with narrow lighter 

 edges, but the two outer pairs have an angular patch of 

 white and a brown shaft-mark towards their tip ; beneath, the 

 black of the head descends to the throat and upper part of 

 the breast, where it forms a fine gorget surrounded by the 

 white stripe already described ; the rest of the lower parts 

 dull white, the sides of the breast and flanks being streaked 

 with black : legs, toes and claws, pitch black. 



The whole length is about six inches and a quarter. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, three inches 

 and five-eighths. 



The female differs in wanting the conspicuous black head 

 and gorget, and in having the top of the head blackish-brown, 

 the feathers tipped with wood-brown, the under portion of 

 the ear-coverts and a stripe from the corner of the mouth 

 black — the rest dull yellowish-white ; the chin and throat 

 dull white with a black line descending from each corner of 

 the lower mandible, which there uniting with the stripes from 

 the mouth forms an ill-defined patch on the upper part of 

 the breast; the chestnut collar is smaller and less bright 

 than in the male and is more or less mottled with dark 

 brown ; the rest of the plumage is nearly alike in both 

 sexes. 



After the autumn-moult the male has those parts which 



* If the plumage be not quite perfect there is generally a trace of a light 

 median streak on the occiput. 



