SNOW BUNTING. 319 



Their occurrence in Scotland during summer 

 is now known as a very rare occurrence, though 

 we have often expressed our conviction, that 

 straggling pairs would be discovered on our 

 higher mountains. Mr Macgillivray states, that 

 he and Dr Greville observed a beautiful male 

 flitting in the neighbourhood of a patch of snow, 

 on the summit of Ben-na Muic-dui, on the 4th of 

 August ; and some days after a party of eight, 

 evidently a brood, was observed on Lochnagar.* 

 The state in which the birds are seen on their 

 arrival in this country, is in the adult winter 

 plumage, or as that of the young birds of the 

 last broods. In the first, the shoulders and 

 secondary quills are pure white, the latter some- 

 times with a proportion of black at the tips, and 

 these markings, when the wings are expanded in 

 flight, exhibit a bright but variegated appearance. 

 The head, cheeks, neck, and sides of the breast, 

 back, and rump, appear nearly chestnut brown, 

 but on the back and scapulars the feathers are 

 black, with the tips grayish chestnut, and on the 

 centre of the back and scapulars, these not 

 entirely concealing the black, gives a rich pied 

 appearance. The quills are black. The tail, 

 with the middle feathers, dark brownish black, 

 edged with yellowish brown, the three outer 

 feathers white, tipped with black on the outer 

 webs. These are also conspicuously seen in 

 flight when the wings are expanded. The under 

 parts are nearly pure white, with a slight tint of 

 * Macgillivray, British Birds, i. p. 464. 



