118 ^- PLECTEOPHANES NIVALIS, SNOW BUNTING. 



'' PLECTEOPHAXES XIVALIS, (Linn.) Meyer. 



Snow Bunting; Snow-flake. 



'Emlenza niraJis, Livn., Svst. Nat. i, 17G6, 308 (accordiug to Gray, type of the genus).— 

 Foi;^T., Philos. f laus. Ixii, 1772, 40:3.— Gm.. Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 866.— Lath., Ind. 

 Orn. i, 1790, 397.— WiLs., Am. Orn. iii, 1811,' 80, pi. 21, tig. 2.— Bp.. Syn. 18-28, 

 103.— Nu-rr., Man. j, 183'i, 458.— AuD,, Oru. Biog. ii, 18:54, 515; v, 496; pi. 189. 



.Emiberiza (Plecirophanus) nivaUs, Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 89.— Sw. & Rich., V. B. A. 

 . ii,. 1831, 247. 



Plecirophanits nivaJU, Meyer, and autbors generally. — Bp., List, 1838, 37. — Aun., Syn. 

 18.39 : B. Am. iii, .5.3, pi. 155.— Giu., B. L. I. 1844, 97.— Maxim., J. f. O. vi, 1858, 

 34.-).— Bt>., B. N. A. 1858, 432.— Couks & Prrxt., Smiths. Hep. for 1861 (1862), • 

 411 (Washington, D. C.).— Allex, Pr. Ess. Inst, iv, IS64, 70 (breeding in 1862 

 near Springfield, M.ass.). — Newb., Ibis, 1865, 502 (Spitzberge.n.) — Dall & Baxx., 

 Tr. Chic. Acad, i, 1869, 282 (Alaska, breeding).— TaiiNii., B. E. Pa. 1869, 2-2 ("of 

 frequent occurrence," Dec. to Jlar.). — Mayx., Guide, 1870, IIJ (Massachu- 

 setts). — Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, 177 (does not state it has occurred in California). — 

 Tr.ippE, Pr. Ess. Inst, vi, 1871, 116 (Minnesota, Nov. to May).- Allen, Bull. '■ . - 

 M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 177 (Kansas).— Fix.sCH, Abh. Nat. iii, 1872, 54 (Alaska).- - '- 

 CoUES, Key, 1872, 133.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. i, 1874, 512, p). 24, f. 2. ^J^ - 



Eniberiza montana, Gm., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 807. — Lath., Ind. Orn. i, 1790, 398. ; i 



Eniberiza mustcUna, Gji., Syst. Nat. i, 1788, 867. )i T't 



Embei-ha glacialis, Lath., ind. Oru. i, 1790, 396. 



Hortulanns glacialis et montuniis, Leach, Cat. 1816, 15, 16. 



Plectropliancs horcalis, montanus, miistclimis, Breh.m, V. D. 305, 308. 



Hab. — Arctic America and Greenland, and corresponding latitudes in the Old World. 

 Irregularly southward in winter in the United States, to about ',io'^, in roving flocks. 

 Washington, D. C. Georgia. Ohio. Illinois. Kentucky. Kansas. Deer Creek. 



List of specimens. 



Deer Creek 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do. 



do 



do 



Mar. 4, 

 Dec. 24, 

 Mar. 4, 

 Dec. 23, 



do. 



Jan. 4, 

 Jan. 18, 

 Deo. 14, 

 Dec. 21, 



1860 

 18.59 

 1860 

 1859 



1860 

 1860 

 1859 

 1859 



F."\' 



Hayden. 



..do 



..do 



..do 



..do 



..do 



H. Trook.. 



.-do 



..do 



The Snow-flake is extremely abundant in the Missouri region in win- 

 ter. They reached Fort Randall November 15, 187.;, after a severe 

 cold snap with a light snow-fall, and as I write (January, 1873), great 

 numbers are swirling over the ground around, and in the fort. They 

 keep pretty closely in flocks numbering from a dozen or so to several 

 hundred, and, though they spread over the ground a good deal in run- 

 ning about after seeds, they fly compactly, and wheel all together. In 

 tbeir evolutions they present a pretty sigbt, and have a not displeasing 

 stridulent sound, from mingling of the weak chirrups from so many 

 .'throats. They are quite unsuspicious, trooping about our very door- 

 steps in search of food, unconscious of real danger ; but their natural 

 timidity, as well as restlessness, is so great, that they seem to constantly 

 take causeless alarm, scurrying off in an instant, but, perhaps, only to 

 return to the same spot immediately. They are readily approached 

 within a few i'eet, and as readily tiUien with horse-hair snares, in box- 

 traps, or by other simple devices. They do not appear to suffer with 

 the cold, although the thermometer has been down to 30° below zero ; 

 those that I secured were in good condition, and proved excellent eat- 

 ing. Their crops were usually found crammed with the small seeds of 

 a plant that grows here in profusion. It may not be generally known 

 that these little Sparrows have a definitely circumscribed dilation of the 



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