186 NATURAL HISTORY COLLECflONS IN ALASKA. 



buffy-yellow. The chestnut eerviciil colhir viuies from dark to lij^ht, aud the geueral color of the 

 back iu some birds is very dark, while iu others it is much lighter, though this depends to a great 

 extent on the amount of \Ycaring the feathers have undergone. Birds from Labrador and Green- 

 land appear to be uniformly darker than the majority of Alaskan examples, but the .small series 

 iu the National Museum collection from the first named regions does not sulHce for a satisfactory 

 comparison. It would be interesting to compare a large series of this bird from various parts of 

 its extended habitat and ascertain the amount of geographical variation. 



The Lapland Longspur winters iu various parts of Central Europe, through Asia to China and 

 Japan, and in the United States, where its distribution at this season is well known. 



Calcarius PiCTUS (Swains.). Smith's Longspur. 



This species has been taken at Fort Yukon by Strachan Jones, but there is no other recoul 

 of its occurrence in the Territory, though its abundance in the adjoining Mackenzie River district 

 renders it extremely probable that it occurs more or less regularly in the neighboring portions of 

 Alaska. Next to the two preceding species the preseut bird is the most northerly in its distri- 

 bution of the species in this group; it differs, however, from the Snow Bunting aud Longspur in its 

 narrowly-restricted range. 



It breeds on the northern shores aud through the northern central districts of British America, 

 and penetrates during winter into the Mississippi Valley and interior plains of the United States, 

 turning towards its northern hauuts at the first approach of spring. In Northern Illinois it passes 

 to the north by the last of March or first of April, just as it is commencing to assume spring liv- 

 ery. That the species passes through a spring moult is certain, since a number of specimens, 

 secured by me, were in the first stages of tliis moult.- 



The biography of this species is, as yet, almost entirely unkuowu ; we possess a few facts of 

 its distribution, aud some skins of the birds in breeding plumage, with their eggs, have reached 

 the National Museum from the Lower Anderson River, close to the Arctic shore. 



According to Dr. Cones, it arrives in Northern Dakota the last of September, and associates 

 with Calcarius ornatus. I have found it passing north through Northern Illinois the last of March 

 and first of April. There is about the same range of variation in the markings and intensity of 

 color among these birds as occurs in the Lapland Longspur. The autumnal plumage of the young 

 is well described by Dr. Cones in Birds of the Northwest, p. 121. 



Ammodeamus sandwichensis (Gniel.). Sandwich Sparrow. 



This species occurs tluring summer along the entire Aleutian chain and the island of Kadiak, 

 in addition to the southeastern shore of the Territory. Dall cites it from Unalaska, where he 

 found it numerous, as he did also thence to the eastward ; but he did not find it to the west of 

 that island. On the Shumagius this Sparrow was found to be rather common. At Unalaska, the 

 10th of May, 1877, I found it common. It had just arrived from the south, and on the loth of the 

 same month it was seen at Sauak Island, over 100 miles to the eastward. 



It was ascertained to prefer the rocky beaches, where, like Melospiza cinerea, it was certain to 

 be found at all times, but it frequently occurred on grassy flats. Its song was a short, weak suc- 

 cession of notes, somewhat similar to those of alaudhms, whicli latter bird I did not see at this 

 point. According to Bean, it was common at Belkovsky, on Aliaska Peninsula, the last of July, 

 1880, and a spring and summer resident on the Near Islands. 



Nothing is known of its breeding habits, and its wintering ground is but slightly known. 



It has been recorded from California in winter. Mr. Henshaw secured several specimens in 

 Middle Oregon, and other naturalists have found them elsewhere along the coast of Oregon and 

 Washington Territory. In the Ilistory of North American Birds, I, j). 5.31), Baird, Brewer, and Ridg- 



•way say : 



Specinieus of tliis race from Sitka are absolutely uiKlistinguisbable from eastern savanna, except in size, the 

 colors and proportions of bill being the same. A yonng bird from Kadiak dili'ers from th.at of savanna iu larger size, 

 and bright reddish-fulvous tinge to upper parts, and deep yellowish-fulvous tinge on jugulum and along the sides. 

 This variety is the uorthvi-est coast form of the common .Savanua Sparrow, and is found during the summer from 

 Oregon to Alaska. 



