PASSERES — FRINGILLID.E— PLECTROPHANES. 
177 
GENUS PLECTROPHANES. Meyer. 
Bill short, somewhat compressed, robust: edges of the mandibles not notched. Roof of the 
mouth concave, with three prominent lines, of which the middle is elevated into an oblong 
tubercle. First or second primaries longest. Hind nail very long, and almost straight. 
Tail rather long, emarginate. 
THE LAPLAND SNOW-BIRD. 
PLECTROPHANES LAPPONICUS. 
PLATE LXIX. FIG. 159. 
(STATE COLLECTION.) 
Fringilla lapponica. Lin'NjEUS, Syst. Nat. 12 edl p. 317. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 2, p. 377. 
Plecirophanes calcaratus, Meyer. E. id. Rich. Parry’s Second Voyage. 
E. (Plectrophanes) lapponica. Bonaparte, Ann. Lyc. N. Y. Vol. 2, p. 440. Id. Am. Orn. Vol. 2, p. 53, pi. 
13, fig. I (male); fig. 2 (female). Acdcbon, fol. pi. 365. Nuttall, Man. 
Orn. Vol. 1, p. 403. Brewer, Synopsis, p. 706. 
Plectrophanes id. AfJDUBON, B. of A. Vol. 3, p. 50, pi. 152. 
P. id., Lapland Lark Bunting. GlRAUD, Birds of Long island, p. 99. 
Characteristics. Spring plumage. Head, chin and breast black ; beneath white : a white 
line over the eye. Quills black : two outer tail-feathers black, with a 
white spot near the tip. Winter. Upper part of the head black, edged 
with rufous: neck black; the feathers tipped with white. Female, 
rufous grey above ; beneath white. Length, 65 inches. 
Description. First quill longest. Tail deeply emarginate and rounded. Tail-feathers 
acuminate, and O '8 longer than the tips of the closed wings. 
Color. This varies with the season. In its winter dress, in which only we are enabled to 
see it, it is rufous brown above, striated with black. Quill-feathers blackish brown, with 
light rufous on the outer webs. A patch behind and beneath the eye, rufous, margined with 
blackish. Throat and breast obsoletely spotted with black beneath. Flanks whitish grey, 
with oblong rufous spots. Female, scarcely differs, except in the spot behind the eye being 
less obvious ; the breast also is slightly darker. 
Length, 6'5-7'0. Alar spread, 12 ' 0 . 
This rare arctic bird is not an unfrequent visiter to this State, during the extreme cold of 
winter. In the winter of 1838, numbers were seen in the markets of New-York, having 
been shot on Long island. Mr. Audubon has indeed observed them in Kentucky and Mis¬ 
souri, but this must of course have been very rare. Feed on seeds and berries. Their nest 
is placed on the ground ; the eggs, from five to seven, are pale yellow, spotted with brown. 
It lives habitually in the arctic regions of both continents, and has been observed as far north 
as the 74th parallel of latitude. 
[Fauna — Part 2.] 
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