288 



FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



1^ i 



liange. — " Europe pfonerally, except extreme northern part " (Sharpe). In- 

 tro Jueud near New York city anil Jio.ston. 



Neat, externally, of jjfnusMes and plant down, lined with plant down, in 

 coniferous trees. Etj(j», four to live, white, witii purpli.sli spots, '72 x -.'jO. 



This European s;)ecies was introduced into this country at IIo- 

 boken, N. J., in 1878. The following year it appeared in Central 

 Park, New York city. It has since spread over the northern parts 

 of the city, and in favorable places is a not uncommon permanent 

 resident. It has also been introduced in the vicinity of Boston, Mass., 

 where it is to be found in small numbers. In general habits it resem- 

 bles its American cousin, with which it sometimes associates. 



634. Plectrophenaz nivalis {Linn.). Snowflake; Skow Bunt- 

 ing. Ad. & in summer. — Whole head and neck, rump, and under parts wliite ; 

 back and scapulars hlaek ; win>;s wliite, the end half of the primaries and 

 inner secondaries black ; outer tail-feathers white, iiuier ones hlack. Ad. 9 

 in Hummer. — Similar, but entire upper parts streaked with black ; primaries 

 all fuscous; sccoiularies more or less tii)pcd with fuscous, i in tvinter. — 

 Uj»per parts a kind of rusty brown, almost umber on the center of the crown; 

 hack streaked with black, caused by the black biuses of the featiiers showinjj 

 through their rusty tips; winys and tail much as in summer, Itut more or less 

 edf^ed witli rusty ; under parts white, the l)rcast and sides washed with rusty. 

 9 in winter. — Similar to & , but the jjriuuiries all fuscous. L., tJ-S6 ; VV., 4'07 ; 

 T., 2-70 ; B., -42. 



Ranije. — " Northern parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding in the 

 arctic regions; in North America, south in winter into the northern United 

 States, irregularly to (icorgia, southern Illinois, and Kansas." 



Washington, W. V., casual, one instance. Siiifr Sing, irregular W. V., Oct. 

 25 to Mch. 22. Cambridge, common VV. V., Oct. 25 to Mch. 25; abundant in 

 migrations. 



iVt'S'^, of grasses, rootlets, and moss, lined with finer grasses and feathers, 

 on the ground. Hggx., four to seven, pale bluish white, thinly marked with 

 umber or lieavily spotted or washed with rufous-brown, -85 x '64. 



The Snowflake may readily be known by the fact that it is the only 

 one of our sparrowlike birds that has ivhitc predominating on its 

 wings and tail, as well as on its body. It feeds exclusively on seeds, 

 and is so much like the Shorelark in habits that the two species occa- 

 sionally associate. The Snowftake is also strictly a ground bird, never 

 perching on a tree, though it often does so on a house or fence. It 

 always progresses by w .Iking, not by hopping. 



Throughout Canada and the northern tier of States this is the 

 familiar little white bird of winter. As ,.oon as the chili season comes 

 on in icy rigors, the merry Snowflakos appear in great flocks, and come 

 foraging about the barnyards when there is no bare ground left in the 

 adjacent fields. Apparently they get but little to cat, but in reality 

 they always And enough to keep them in health and spirits, and are as 



