i28 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



This bird has received many trivial names, such as The Lesser Pied Mountain 

 Finch, The Snow-bird from Hudson's Bay, The Tawny Bunting, The Mountain 

 Bunting, The Lorrain Bunting ; but its prettiest name (and that by which it is 

 almost as well known as Snow- Bunting) is Snow-flake. 



Seebohm writes respecting the habits of this bird as follows : " The flight of 

 the Snow- Bun ting is peculiar, and is something like that of a butterfly, as if the 

 bird altered its mind every few seconds as to which direction it wished to take. 

 It can scarcely be called an undulating flight. The bird certainly does rest its 

 wings every few seconds ; but either they are expanded when at rest, or they are 

 rested for so short a time that the plane of flight is not sufficiently altered to 

 warrant its being called undulating. The Snow- Bunting is almost entirely a 

 ground- feeder, and is consequently continually seen on the ground. These birds 

 run along the snow with the celerity of a Wagtail on a sand-bank ; but they can 

 hop as easily as a Sparrow, and I have very often seen them do so. The idea 

 that they seldom or never perch on trees is a mistake, which has no doubt arisen 

 from the circumstance that on the steppes, where they delight to winter, and on 

 the tundra, where they breed, there are no trees. In the valley of the Petchora 

 we had abundant opportunity of seeing them in trees." (Hist. Brit. Birds, Vol. II, 

 pp. 127-128). 



Lord Lilford observes: "In the few instances in which, * * *, we met 



with this bird in the highlands of Inverness-shire, we found it exceedingly tame, 

 running about within a few yards of us, and feeding on the seeds of various 

 grasses which grew by the burn-sides : in one instance the bird was so confiding 

 that I nearly caught it with my cap ; but this was no doubt caused by the fact 

 that a Merlin was hunting over the moss at the moment when the ' Snow-flake,' 

 as this bird is often called, fluttered up at our feet. The call-note of this species 

 is pleasing and musical, and the male has an agreeable song, which, however, I 

 have only heard from a caged bird. In captivity the Snow-Bunting will eat 

 almost any sort of seed, and generally dies of plethora unless strictly dieted." 

 (Birds of Northamptonshire, Vol. I, pp. 171-172). 



Mr. Saxby speaking of them in Shetland, says : " Seen against a dark hill- 

 side or a lowering sky, a flock of these birds presents an exceedingly beautiful 

 appearance, and it may then be seen how aptly the term " Snow-flake " has been 

 applied to the species. I am acquainted with no more pleasing combination of 

 sight and sound than that afforded when a number of these birds, backed by a 

 dark grey sky, drop as it were in a shower to the ground, to the music of their 

 own sweet tinkling notes." (Zoologist, p. 9484). 



The nidification of the Snow- Bunting is late ; most nests being apparently 



