5O BIRD-LAND ECHOES. 



snowy owls, pine-grosbeaks, and a Bohemian chat- 

 terer were among them. 



Observations by others as well as my own go to 

 show that it is not a question of cold as to whether 

 we are likely to have this or that arctic bird with us, 

 but wholly a matter of snow. Deep and long-lasting 

 snows will attract and hold them, too ; or is it that 

 their long journey has fatigued them to an extent 

 precluding prompt return ? About my own neigh- 

 borhood, year in and year out, we are almost sure, I 

 think, to have a few common cross-bills, and occasion- 

 ally the white-winged species ; then snow-buntings, 

 and lastly straggling pine-grosbeaks. The Lapland 

 long-spur is an " accidental" visitor, whatever that 

 may mean. Certainly there is no accidental feature 

 in their coming. Associated with snow-buntings, 

 they follow their leaders, and if they come, the 

 long-spur comes also. This is true of the bird in 

 New Hampshire. Mr. Cram has only occasionally 

 seen it, and always in the snow-bunting's company. 

 I have seldom seen snow-buntings to good advan- 

 tage, which is not surprising considering how com- 

 paratively few winters in each century they favor 

 us with their abundant presence ; but once they 

 victimized me by their rough-and-tumble manner. 

 I was standing near a little clump of trees in the 

 corner of a large open field. The snow was very 

 deep, and I was watching with some interest the 

 dead leaves as the wind carried them along, tumbling 

 and bumping over the thin crust that had formed 

 during the night I was not a little surprised, a few 



