LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 
536. Calcarius lapponicus. 6Y%4 inches. 
Male in summer with black crown and throat. and 
chestnut nape; female similar but duller; winter plu- 
mage, with feathers of head and neck tipped with 
grayish so as to conceal the bright markings. 
As indicated by its name, this is a Northern species, 
which spends the cold months in northern U. 8., trav- 
eling in flocks and resting and feeding on side hills, 
often with Snowflakes, or on lower ground with Horned 
Larks. 
Song.—A sweet trill or warble, frequently given 
while in flight; call, a sharp chip. 
Nest.—Of mosses, grasses and feathers placed on the 
ground in tussocks or on grassy hummocks. In June 
and July they lay from four to six eggs having a gray- 
ish ground color, which is nearly obscured by the 
numerous blotches of brown and lavender (.80 x .60). 
Range.—Breeds from Labrador northward and win- 
ters south to South Carolina and Texas. A sub-species 
is found in the West. 
