122 



KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



it will remain till almost trodden upon ; then it will run a little 

 distance and again attempt to hide. 



Length, 6}; wing, 3J (3|-3J) ; tail, 2|; tarsus, f ; culmen, |. North- 

 ern regions ; breeding far north, and wintering in the northern United 

 States, irregularly farther south even to South Carolina. 



14. Smith's Longspur (537. Calcd,rius plctiis). — A rare 

 winter bird of the western plains, of size and habits similar 

 to that of the Lapland longspur, but with much more buffy 

 color to its plumage, and the head and back with much black. 

 A line over the eye and the ear coverts white ; a broad, white, 

 wing bar, and the two under tail feathers mostly white. 



Length, 6}; wing, 3 1 (Sj-Sf) ; tail, 2|-; tarsus, '\; culmen, |. In- 

 terior of North America ; breeding far north, and wintering south to 

 Illinois and Texas. 



15. Chestnut-collared Longspur (538. Calcd,rius ornatus). — A 

 beautiful western longspur of bright colors, with a chestnut 

 collar, black breast and crown, and much white on head and tail. 

 The bird may be distinguished by the great amount of \\'hite 

 on the tail feathers (the under mostly white, the others with 

 much white at base). Female usually without black. 



Length, 6; wing, 3| (3J-3^); tail, 2J ; culmen, |. Interior of North 

 Afherica ; breeding from western Minnesota west and north, and wintering 

 south to Texas ; accidental in Massaoliusetts. 



16. McCown's Longspur (539. RhynchSphanes mccdicnii). — 

 A heavy-billed, grayish-brown, mottled, western longspur, 

 with black crown and 

 crescent-shaped mark 

 on breast and white- 

 blotched tail feath- 

 ers. The female lacks 

 the black of head and 

 breast, but both sexes 

 have the under tail 

 feathers white, and 



MoOown's Longspnr 



the others, except the middle pair, white at base with square, 

 dark tips. (Black-breasted Longspur.) 



