CHAP. v. SNOW-BUNTINGS. 51 



tunately we did not get far enough north to meet with these 

 birds at their breeding stations. In 1874, when Collett and 

 I were in Norway, we found the snow-bunting breeding on 

 the island of Vadso in the Varanger Fjord. We were too late 

 for eggs, as this bird is a very early breeder, and the young 

 were already in the nest by the middle of June ; but we had 

 many opportunities of watching the male birds. They would 

 fling themselves up into the air almost like a shuttlecock, 

 singing all the time a low and melodious warble, not unlike 

 that of a shore-lark, or perhaps still more like that of the 

 Lapland bunting, and they would immediately descend in 

 a spiral curve with wings and tails expanded, and finksh their 

 song on a rock. Although we only once or twice heard the 

 snow-buntings attempting to sing in Ust-Zylma, they were 

 by no means silent birds, and were continually calling to each 

 other. The call-note is a zh, not unlike that of the brambling 

 or greenfinch. The alarm-note is a loud tweek. As they 

 fly together in flocks they merely twitter to each other, not 

 unlike purple sandpipers on the seashore. 



Flocks of redpoles * were also common, but consisting of 



* The mealy redpole (Linota linaria, 

 Linn.) is a circumpolar bird breeding 

 at or near the limit of forest growth, 

 and visiting the British Islands some- 

 what irregularly in winter, being re- 

 presented with us by a very nearly 

 allied species, Linota rufescens (VieilL), 

 differing from the more northern form 

 in being somewhat more rufous in the 

 general colour of the upper parts. A 

 nearly allied form, which is said to be 

 still greyer in colour than the mealy 



redpole and of somewhat larger size, 

 is found in Greenland, and has been 

 named L. hornemanni (Holb.). Some 

 writers make a fourth species, L. 

 exilipes (Coues), which may be said to 

 be intermediate between the Arctic 

 and the Greenland forms. In the 

 valley of the Petchora we found both 

 L. linaria (Linn.) and L. exilipes 

 (Coues), and came to the conclusion 

 that the latter is nothing but the 

 fully adult winter plumage of the 



