FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 289 



fat as butter balls. In midwinter, in the far north, when the ther- 

 mometer showed thirty degrees below zero, and the chill blizzard was 

 blowing on the plains, I have seen this brave little bird gleefully 

 chasing his fellows, and pouring out as he flew his sweet, voluble song 

 with as much spirit as ever Skylark has in the sunniest days of June. 

 As long as the snow lasts the Snowflake stays, and as soon as the 

 ground grows bare and there is promise of better days, this bird of 

 winter betakes himself again to the north, as far as ever human foot 

 has been, and there builds his nest.. ERNEST E. THOMPSON. 



536. Calcarius lapponicus (Linn.). LAPLAND LONGSPUR. Ad. 6 



in summer. Hind toe-nail as long as or longer than toe ; head, neck, throat, 



and breast black ; a buffy line behind the eye ; nape rufous ; back streaked 



with black and ochraceous- and cream -buff; tail 



fuscous, the two outer feathers with more or less 



white ; belly white ; sides streaked with black. 



Ad. 9 in summer. Upper parts streaked with 



black, rufous, ochraeeous- and cream-bull'; nape 



ochraceous-buff, the color sometimes concealed 



by the tips of the feathers ; tail fuscous, the outer 



one or two feathers marked with white ; under 



parts white, the breast and sides streaked with ^ 



Fio. 81. Hind toe of Lap- 

 black and ochraceous-buff. & ^n winter. bum- land Longspur. 



lar to ? in summer, but upper parts blacker, nape 



more rufous, breast more heavily marked with black, most of the feathers 

 black at the base. 9 in winter. Similar to 9 in summer, but upper parts duller, 

 nape with little or no ochraceous. L., 6'25 ; W., 3-75 ; T., 2-55 ; B., -40. 



Remarks. In some plumages this bird bears a general resemblance to cer- 

 tain Sparrows, but differs from them in having the hind toe-nail as long as or 

 longer than the toe. 



Range. "Northern portions of the northern hemisphere, breeding far 

 north; in North America, south in winter to the northern United States, 

 irregularly to the Middle States, accidentally to South Carolina." 



Washington, W. V., casual, one instance, Dec. Sing Sing, W. V., casual. 



Nest, of grasses and moss lined with grasses, on the ground. Eggs, four 

 to six, bluish white, almost obscured by a uniform grayish brown, -82 x -60. 



In the east Lapland Longspurs are generally found among flocks 

 of Shorelarks or Snowflakes, but on the western plains they occur in 

 great numbers. " High in the air they fly in long, straggling flocks, 

 all singing together ; a thousand voices, a tornado of whistling. . . . 

 When in the fields they have a curious habit of squatting just behind 

 some clod, and, as their colors are nearly matched to the soil, they are 

 not easily observed, nor will they move until you are within a few 

 feet ; they then run a few feet and squat again. . . ." (Thompson). 



537. Calcarius pictus (Swain*.). SMITH'S LONGSPUR. Ad. $ in sum- 

 mer. Top and sides of the head black, a line over the eye and the ear-coverts 



20 



