536. 



LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 



Calcarius lapponicus. 6^4 



_, 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 L'. S., 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 ) . 



Bang's. Breeds from Labrador northward and win- 

 ters south to South Carolina and Texas. A sub-species 

 is found in the West. 



