98 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



sometimes noted south-coast mid-Oct. to mid -Nov., and very 

 occasionally immigration April, but such passage-movements do 

 not appear to be regular. Scotland. "Numbers greatly influenced 

 by weather-conditions, and most regular and abundant in south- 

 east ; in south-west and north-east more irregular, but sometimes 

 occurring in large numbers ; in north-west and 0. Hebrides much 

 scarcer ; in Shetlands, Orkneys and Fair Isle fairly regular autumn 

 and spring. Late dates : Dumfries, May 10, 1895 ; Fair Isle. 

 May 20, 1909 ; Shetland, July 4, 1915. Reported to have nested 

 in Scotland. Ireland. In varying numbers to all quarters, but 

 rare in west. Late date : Down, June 13, 1910. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Subarctic forests of Old World, in 

 Europe in northern Scandinavia and north Russia, in winter all 

 over Europe and northern parts of Asia. An eastern form has 

 been described, but does not appear to be separable. 



Genus MONTIFRINGILLA Brehm. 



MONTIFRINGILLA Brehm, Isis, 1828, p. 1277 (Type by monotypy : 

 M. nivalia, the two species mentioned by Brehm being one and the same). 



Wing longer than in Fringilla, distance from secondaries to 

 tip of primaries greater. First three or two visible primaries 

 longest and almost equal. Inhabitants of mountains. One species 

 in Europe, a number in north and central Asia, and North America. 



MONTIFRINGILLA NIVALIS 



39. Montifringilla nivalis nivalis (L.) THE SNOW-FINCH. 



FRINGILLA NIVALIS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. xii, i, p. 321 (1766 

 " Habitat in America." Errore ! As typical locality accepted : 

 Switzerland; cf. Hartert, Vog. pal. Fauna, i, p. 132). 

 Montifringilla nivalis (Linn.), M. J. Nicoll, Bull. B.O.C., xv, p. 58 ; 

 Saunders, Brit. B., i, p. 13. 



nowflnch (Montifringilla n. nivalis) <$ adult. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Fore-head creamy- white ; 

 crown, ear-coverts, nape, and back of neck bluish-grey, tinged 

 brownish-buff ; mantle, scapulars, and back dark brown, feathers 

 tipped huffish ; rump and upper tail-coverts black, feathers narrowly 

 tipped white or buffish-grey, and some partially white ; sides of 



