458 



NORTH AMEUICAN 13IIJDS. 



inajrc (except wings, tail, and lejrs) fiilvoiis-lmn', heavily spotted and l)arred above, and 

 refrularly Ijarreil lieneatii, witii liiaek. Wiiifr, T.'JO; bill, .4i) l)y .40, 



Wiiilrr. Kiitiie pliiiiia<,'e. except the tail (wlileli is black witli a wliite tip), iiiimacii- 

 latc siiowy-wliite; shafts of piiiiiaries black. Male (:i4,!)0S, Northwest I!,, Lalnador; 

 I). Siiilih). Will!;, 7..j(i; bill. .41i by .4."). Female (."j(>,t)00, Nulato, Lower Vukon, .\pril 12, 

 18(i7 ; W. II, Dall). Win;:, 7.')0; bill, A'> by .42. 



CliieL' (2,048, Fort .\iidersoii, .July, 18()4). I'levailiiij.' I'olor frreciii.sh-biilV, tiiijrecl with 

 .«iilphiir-yellc)W on the throat and abdoiiieii. ami washc(l with I'lilvoiis on the upper iiart.*. 

 A lar;;e oval vertical jiatch of ehestiiiit-nilbiis, bordered all roiinil by a black line, which, 

 from the oceiput, is continued down the nape in a broad distinct stripe of black. On the 

 npper part of the back this stripe bil'incatt's, and continues in two broad parallel stri])es 

 to the lower part of rump, where they again unite. A black strijie acro.ss the wing and 

 one throu<,di the eye and anriculars. 



Had. Arctic America from Newfoundland to Sitka. 



H.vniTS. Iiicliarflson rcgardud tliis species a.s an inhabitant of the fur 

 countries from the oOtii to the 70th parallel of Lititiido, being jiartially 

 migratory within those limits. It wtis found to breed among the viUlitys of 



the liocky Mountains, 

 on the barren grounds, 

 and along the Arctic 

 coasts. On the ap- 

 proach of winter it 

 collects in flocks, and 

 retires southward as the 

 severity of tlic weather 

 incrcivses. Tiioy re- 

 main, however, in con- 

 siderable numbers as 

 fiir north as latitude 07° 

 even in the coldest win- 

 ters. It was found to 

 be toleral)ly abundant 

 at the (Joth jiarallel all 

 L„,'n!ms „ii„„. ^j^^j ^,^,_^j.^ assembling 



in vast flocks on the shores of Hudson Bay in the winter time. Mr. 

 Hutchins states that ten thousand of these birds have been ea])tnred in a 

 single season at Severn IJiver. IJichardson adds that in 1.S19 these birds 

 made their first appearance at Cumlierland House, latitude 'A°, in the second 

 week of November, and that they returned to the northward again before 

 the begimiing of s]iriiig. In the winter they are said to shelter themselves 

 in thickets of willows and dwarf birches, on the banks of mar.shes and 

 lakes, the liuds of the smidler shrubs being the ]irinci]ial jiart of their food 

 at that season. Denuded sandy spots were their favorite resorts in the day- 

 time, but they iiassed their nights in holes in tin; .snow. When ])ur.sued by 

 sportsmen or birds of prey, they often terminate their flight by hastily div- 



