SNOW BUNTING. 517 



there consists of grass seeds, insects of various kinds, and minute testaceous 

 mollusca. They not unfrequently alight on the wild oats growing on the 

 borders of lakes and ponds, to feed on its seeds, and with all these sub- 

 stances they mix a proportion of fine sand or gravel. 



Ebiberiza nivalis, Linn. Syt. Nat. vol. i. p. 308 Ch. Bortaparte, Synops. of Birds 



of the United States, p. 103. 

 Emberiza (plectrophanes) nivalis, Snow Buntling, Swains. znA Richards. 



Fauna Boreal. Amer. vol. ii. p. 247. 

 Snow Bunting, Emberiza nivalis, TFiYs. Amer. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 86. pi. 21. fig. 2. 



Adult in winter. Plate CLXXXIX. Fig. 1,2. 



Bill short, robust, tapering, somewhat compressed ; upper mandible 

 slightly convex in its dorsal line, the sides rounded, the sharp edges in- 

 flected ; the palate with a convex prominence ; lower mandible broader, 

 with involute sharp edges ; the gap-line deflected at the base. Nostrils 

 basal, rounded, open, partly concealed by the feathers. The general form 

 is rather robust. Feet of ordinary length ; tarsus compressed, anteriorly 

 covered with a few long scutella, sharp behind ; toes scutellate above, 

 granulate beneath, compressed, lateral toes equal ; claws slightly arched, 

 compressed, rather obtuse, with a short deep grove on each side at the 

 base, the hind claw much longer. 



Plumage soft and blended, the feathers somewhat distinct on the back 

 only. Wings long, pointed, first quill longest, second scarcely shorter, 

 second and third slightly cut out on the outer edge towards the end ; se- 

 condaries emarginate. Tail of moderate length, deeply emarginate. 



Bill yellow, the tips brown. Iris brown. Feet brownish-black. 

 Head brownish-white, the crown and ear-coverts pale chestnut. Hind 

 neck greyish white, tinged with chestnut. Feathers of the back brownish, 

 margined and broadly tipped with light yellowish-red ; the rump feathers 

 white, tipped with the latter colour. The whole under surface is white, 

 the sides of the neck and breast tinged with reddish-brown. Wing- 

 coverts on both sides, and six outer secondaries, white ; primary coverts 

 white, tipped with brownish-black, primaries brownish-black, slightly mar- 

 gined and tipped with white, and having a broad band of the same extend- 

 ing over the base, and enlarging inwards, inner secondaries brownish- 

 black, margined with pale reddish. Three outer tail-feathers on each 

 side white, excepting towards the end, where they are brownish-black, of 



