306 NOTES ON THE 
Mr. Washburn reported a flock of six of these birds, October 
22d, at Dead lake, Otter Tail county, and again on November 
1st, at Lake Mille Lacs, where he found them abundant. He 
says: ‘‘When flying they utter a loud chirp, and with it a 
musical ‘purr’ which is very pleasing. The large flocks 
seemed restless and shy, flitting about like wind-blown snow 
flakes, the uneasiness of one bird seeming to communicate itself 
to the rest, and a whole flock would thus be kept in almost 
constant motion over the same bushes of the lake shore.” 
This allusion to its note and peculiar purring sound inter- 
larded, expresses all of its habits in this respect that could be 
said in a chapter. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
In full plumage the colors are entirely black and white. 
Middle of back between scapulars, terminal half of primaries 
and tertials, and two innermost tail feathers black, elsewhere 
pure white. Legs black at all seasons. In winter dress, white 
beneath; head and rump yellowish-brown, as are also some 
blotches on the side of the breast; middle of the back brown 
streaked with black; the white on the wings and tail much 
more restricted. 
Length, 6.75; wing, 4.35; tail, 38.05, first quill longest. 
Habitat, northern parts of Northern Hemisphere. 
CALCARIUS LAPPONICUS (L.). (536.) 
LAPLAND LONGSPUR. 
Another variably represented species of semi-arctic birds, 
occasionally appearing in countless thousands on our plowed 
fields, from the 15th to the 30th of September, remaining until 
December, when it disappears until in March, remaining about 
a month, when it moves northward again. Dr. Hvoslef reports 
it abundant at Lanesboro on our extreme southern line in 
migration. He saw it there on February 22, 1885, in a flock of 
five individuals on a high, bleak prairie. Prof. C. L. Herrick 
reported it abundant at Lake Shatek, in the same latitude. Mr. 
P. Clague pronounces it very abundant in migration at Her- 
man, Grant county, a favored locality for most open-field birds. 
Like the Snow Buntings, some of them linger in their vernal 
sojourn. In 1877, some were seen as late as May 3d. Although 
Dr. Coues, in his Birds of the Northwest, expresses the opin- 
ion that they may breed in Minnesota, I have gotten as yet no 
reliable evidence that they do. As of Snow Buntings, loiterers 
