THE NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY. 133 



lowing March. In November, 1891, Mr. J. Graf ton Parker, Jr. 

 and myself observed the shores of Wolf and Hyde lakes, In- 

 diana, almost covered with these birds and they were so tame that 

 we tried to catch them with our hands. Mr. Parker also found 

 them very abundant on the beach at Miller's, Indiana, on Decem- 

 ber 17, 1895. Mr. E. W. Nelson says:* "An abundant winter 

 resident. The fifth of March, 1875, I saw a flock of these birds 

 in a tree in Chicago. The males were chanting a very low and 

 somewhat broken, but very pleasant song, bearing considerable 

 resemblance to that of Spisella monticola!' 



The range of the Snowflake is quite extensive, covering the 

 northern portion of the northern hemisphere, southward in win- 

 ter into the northern United States, occasionally being observed 

 as far south as Georgia, Kentucky and Kansas. 



Genus CALCARIUS Bechstein, 1803. 



Calcarins lapponicus (Linnaeus). Lapland Longspur. 



Fringilla lapponica LINN^US, S. N., ed. 10, I, 1758, 180. 

 Plectrophanes lapponica SELBY, Trans. Linn. Soc., XV, 1827, 156, 



pi. 1. 

 Calcarius lapponicus STEJXEGEB, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V, June 5, 



1882, 33. 

 Popular synonym : BEOWN SNOWBIBD. 



This Longspur is a common winter resident, and is abundant 

 during the fall and spring migrations. It may often be seen in 

 very large flocks on the prairies of our area. It arrives in Sep- 

 tember and remains with us until spring, nearly all departing 

 by the last of April and after they have obtained their spring 

 plumage. A few tarry and I have taken them as late as the third 

 of May. Mr. B. T. Gault took an adult female in full summer 

 plumage at Sheffield, Indiana, on June 14, 1889. He saysif 

 "The bird was alone and seemed to be thoroughly at home with 

 her surroundings, being shot near the sand hills close to the lake 

 shore. She was quite fat and appeared to be in excellent condi- 

 tion, but the ovaries showed no approach of the breeding season." 

 Mr. E. W. Nelson speaks of an unusually large flight of Long- 

 spurs which took place on the twentieth of March, 1873. He 

 says:t "A continuous series of large flocks occupied over two 

 hours in passing." 



*Birds of Northeastern Illinois, Bull, of the Essex Institute, Vol. VIII, 1876. 105. 



tAuk, Vol. VI, July, 1889, 278. 



t Birds of Northeastern Illinois, Bull, of the Essex Institute, Vol. VIII. 1876. 106. 



