324 BIRDS— FRINGILLIDtE. 



than in the interior, the contrary of which appears to be the case with 

 the next species. They breed from latitude 62° northw:'"! 



The nest is placed on the groand; it i^ built of grass, Wi!;i a 1 .ihip; of 

 feathers. The eggs are five, dull white, sprinkled wilii Vbilowibh-i- ifous, 

 and measure .95 by .64. 



Plectrophanes lapponicus (L.) Selby. 



Lapland. Lon-gspur™ 



Pleetroplianes lapponicus, Wheaton, Ohio Agrio. Eep. for 1H60, 366 ; Eeprint, 1861, 8 : 

 Food of Birds, etc., Otiio Agric. Rep. for 1874, C66; Eepiiat, 1875, 6. — Lan-gdon, Cat. 

 Birds of Cin., 1877, 8; Jonrn. Ciu. Soc. Nat. Hist , i, 1878, 114; Eeprint, 5; Revised 

 List, Jouru. Cia. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 17.j ; Reprint, 9, 



Fringilla lapponiea, LiNNiEua, Syst. Nat., 1, 17(i6, 317. 

 Plectrophanea lapponiea, Sblby, Linn. Trans., x), 1.56. 



Bill moderate, unrufled, bnt with alittle tuft of feathers at the base of the lictus; hind 

 claw straightish, with its digit longer than the middle toe and claw. Adult male : 

 whole head and throat jet black, bordered with bnffy or whitish, which forms a postocular 

 line, separating the black of the crown from that of the sides of the head ; a broad , 

 chestnut cervical collar; upper parts in general blackish, streaked with buft'y or whitish 

 that edges all the feathers ; below, whitish, the breast and sides black-streaked ; wings 

 dusky, the greater coverts and inner secondaries edged with dull bay ; tail dusky, with 

 an oblique white area on the outer feathers; bill yellowish, tipped with black; legs and 

 feet black. Winter males show less black bu the head, and the cervical chestnut duller ; 

 the female and young have no continuous black on the head, and the crown is streaked 

 like the back, and there are traces of the cervical collar. Length, 6-6J-; wing, 3J-3J; 



tail, ai-aj. 



Habitat, Arctic regions of both Hemispheres ; in America south in winter to Pennsyl- 

 Tania, Kentucky, Kansas, and Colorado. 



Common and tolerably regular winter visitor in the vicinity of Colum- 

 bus from December 1 to March 20. Rare and irregular in the vicinity of 

 Cincinnati. 



The Lapland Longspur usually appears in this vicinity during the 

 first' protracted cold weather. The first to appear are single birds, in 

 company with Shore Larks. Afterwards they may be seen in compact 

 flocks of from ten to thirty, frequenting old brick-yards, and fields where 

 cattle are fed, in company with Shore Larks, with which they associate 

 on the ground, but fly by themselves in close flocks. Frequently when 

 first flushed they utter a rapid rattling note, somewhat like that of the 

 Kingfisher, but less loud and harsh. Their food consists of the seeds of 

 plants, which they are very industrious in collecting. 



The Lapland Longspur breeds in the Arctic Regions. The nest is 

 placed on the ground, built of mosses, grass, and a few feathers. The 



