50 THE SNOWFLAKE. 



In many respects the Siskins resemble their more familiar cousins, the 

 Goldfinches ; they cultivate a graceful, undulatory, or looping flight, chirrup- 

 ing as they go; and like them they have "a habit of singing in a lively, 

 rambling sort of way for an hour or more at a time." On thepther hand their 

 love of pine trees and the seeds of pine cones links them closely to the Cross- 

 bills and their rattling cry is quite suggestive of the common notes of these 

 birds. They have one note, however, which is entirely distinctive. It is a 

 labored but singularly penetrating production with a peculiar vowel quality 

 (like a German umlauted u), zuem or seem. At the same time the bird often 

 displays his wing with its sulphur-colored watermark, and speedy recognition 

 follows. 



No. 23. 



SNOWFLAKE. 



A. O. U. No. 534. Passerina nivalis (Linn.). 



Synonym. — Snow Bunting. 



Description. — Adult male in summer : Pure white save for bill, feet, middle 

 of back, scapulars, bastard wing, the end half of primaries and inner secondaries, 

 and the middle tail-feathers, which are black. Female in summer : Similar, but 

 upper parts streaked all over with black, and the black of wings largely replaced 

 by fuscous. Adults in winter: Entire upper parts overcast with browns — rusty 

 or seal brown — clear on crown, grayish and mottled with dusky centers of 

 feathers on back, scapulars, etc. ; also rusty ear-patches, and a rusty collar, with 

 faint rusty wash on sides. The black of wing and tail-feathers is less pure 

 (fuscous in the female) and edged with white or tawny. Length 6.50-7.00 

 (165.1-177.8) ; wing 4.12 (104.6) ; tail 2.54 (64.5) ; bill .40 (10.2). 



Recognition Marks. — Sparrow size ; conspicuously and uniquely white, with 

 blacks and browns above. 



Nesting. — Does not breed in Ohio. "Nest, on the ground in the sphagnum 

 and tussocks of Arctic regions, of a great quantity of grass and moss, lined pro- 

 fusely with feathers. Bggs, 4-6, very variable in size and color, about .90 x .65 

 (22.9 X 16.5), white or whitish, speckled, veined, blotched, and marbled with 

 deep browns and neutral tints" (Coues.). 



Qeneral Range. — "Northern parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding in 

 the Arctic regions; in North America south in winter into the northern United 

 States, irregularly to Georgia, southern Illinois, Kansas and Oregon." 



Range in Oliio. — Occurs irregularly in winter, — more commonly northerly. 



THE guests of winter form a distinct category in the bird-man's reckon- 

 ing. There are loyal hearts which no adversity of winter elements (short of 

 sheer freezing, which is brutal) can drive from our midst — Song Sparrows, 

 Titmice, Nuthatches — and to these we pay appropriate honors. But, after all. 



