270 



10 



heavy head-wind direct towards Spitsbergen. When we arrived on the north coast of Spitsbergen 

 late in May we found the Snow-Buntings busy with their breeding-arrangements. On the 4th of 

 June I saw them pairing on the snow-drifts by the light of the midnight's sun at Wyde Bay, in 

 80° N. lat. ; and on the 27th of July I found a brood of fledged young at Brandywine Bay, in 

 80° 24' N. lat. This species builds in stone heaps on the rocky precipices, at an altitude of 

 100-300 feet above the sea, generally under a large flat stone. The nest is composed of straws 

 and lined with feathers and down. The entrance is only large enough to allow the old birds to 

 enter with ease — a necessary precaution against the Arctic Foxes. The Snow-Bunting is the 

 only songster found on Spitzbergen. Its twitter during the breeding-season is agreeable; and 

 one listens to it with pleasure in these high latitudes. Its food consists of seeds, insects, and 

 larvae." 



The Snow-Bunting breeds in the high northern regions of Europe, Asia, and America. Dr. 

 Kriiper, who found it breeding in Iceland, states that " it builds its nest of dry bents and a little 



moss. I found it always hidden under huge stones, and containing from five to six eggs 



According to Faber and Thienemann the laying-time commences in the beginning of June ; but 

 I obtained as early as the 25th of May strongly incubated eggs at Oingeyrar, and on the 28th of 

 May four similar ones on the bird-island of Drangay. On the 4th of June I found on a mountain 

 near Bard, in Fljoten, a nest with six fresh eggs under a large block of stone ; and on the 12th of 

 June I also found six slightly incubated eggs at Akureyri. Although many Snow-Buntings 

 migrate, still a large quantity remain in Iceland ; and their numbers are increased by arrivals 

 from Greenland." Professor von Middendorff, who took several nests in Siberia, writes that 

 " most of the nests were lined with Ptarmigan feathers, carefully arranged by the female. In 

 a nest close to our tent the Reindeer-hair off our rugs formed a lining. The nest itself is com- 

 posed of grasses, the finer portions of which are inside ; occasionally outside this grass-nest is a 

 layer of moss or rarely of roots, and even dried twigs of the dwarf birch ; generally, however, it 

 is only composed of grass-straws." Mr. A. Benzon, of Copenhagen, who, in his rich collection, 

 possesses numerous nests and a large series of eggs from various parts of Greenland and Northern 

 Scandinavia, informs me that " the nest consists of a bulky foundation of dried grass, usually 

 lined with feathers and down, and sometimes with hair only; the nest measures from 120 and 

 60 outside measure, and 70 and 40 inside measure, to 140 and 80 outside, and inside 70 and 45 

 millimetres respectively. In Greenland it usually builds its nest in the stone heaps, occasionally 

 in old graves, and appears to lay more eggs (seven to eight) there than in Northern Europe, 

 where it deposits only five to six. Mr. Benzon has several nests from Godhavn, in North 

 Greenland, some containing seven, others eight eggs. The ground-colour of the eggs of this 

 species is bluish white, sometimes with a violet tinge. Like the eggs of all the Buntings they 

 vary considerably in the markings, which in some consist merely of underlying surface-spots 

 without shell-markings, whereas others are closely covered with dark rust-brown spots and 

 scratches, which in some are dark, almost blackish brown. In many the spots are collected 

 and form a ring round the larger end. The so-called brand-spots are often seen ; but, on the 

 other hand, the scratches are not so common as on other Buntings' eggs. In size they vary from 

 20 by 15^ to 24 by 17, the normal size being 21 by 16^ millimetres." 



I have in my collection a large series of the eggs of this species, chiefly obtained through 



