ANAKTUVUK PASS 127 



In 1951, a nest found with two eggs on June 10 contained three eggs 

 on June 11 and four on June 12. Another nest with two eggs was 

 found June 11, one with four June 12, and one with five eggs June 21. 



In 1952, a nest found on June 3 contained no eggs. Another nest, 

 empty on June 3, contained three eggs on June Y, four on June 8, and 

 five when next examined on June 10. 



Tlie young birds collected had reached adult weight on July 27 and 

 the latest recorded observation of Smith's longspurs was on August 24, 

 1950. The evidence points to their being briefer summer residents as 

 well as less numerous than are Alaskan longspurs. Among the 

 Fringillidae, Smith's longspur appears to be least suited for cold by 

 the style and coherence of their feathers. The observations made so 

 far do not show any formed flights of Smith's longspurs heading 

 north through Tuluak Valley. In mid- August, however, more indi- 

 vidual birds and family sized groups were seen flying south through 

 the Killik Valley than had been earlier apparent in the local popula- 

 tion. It is concluded that the main northward movement extends to 

 the mountain line, but that some proceed further north. 



Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus) 



11 males Apr. 2-May26 weight (2), 38.9, 



32.6 g. 

 3 females May 2-May 26 weight (1), 30.6 g. 



In their northward flight the first migrating snow buntings were 

 recorded March 28, 1949, April 3, 1950, April 3, 1951, May 9, 1952, 

 April 3, 1953, and April 16, 1954. The late 1952 observation may indi- 

 cate that the buntings were retarded by the late heavy snow cover 

 which persisted in interior Alaska that spring. But I am inclined to 

 think that they passed unobserved. They commonly reach the arctic 

 coast at Barrow in mid- April (Bailey, 1948). Sir John Eoss (1835, 

 pp. 322, 511) recorded that the first snow buntings reached their 

 winter quarters at Boothia (lat. 69° 58' N.) on April 17 in 1830 and 

 again in 1831. 



At Bettles Hannah Anderson told me that she had seen the first 

 few snow buntings of 1953 on about March 10. She remembered from 

 her childhood there that snow buntings returned early in March and 

 remained numerous for several weeks. It appears that the most north- 

 ern part of the migration is prolonged on the Koyukuk and then 

 moves only slowly from Anaktuvuk to Barrow. 



Snow buntings are known to winter in southern Alaska from the 

 Peninsula to Sitka (Eidgway, 1901). Brandt (1943) was informed by 

 local people that snow buntings were occasionally seen during winter 

 in the villages along the lower Yukon Eiver. At Kobuk Village, 



