FINCHES, SPARROWS 



(537) Calcarius pictus 



iS-wains.) (Lat., painted). 



SMITH'S LONGSPUR. Ad. d" 



/;/ sumiiici Plumage as shown by 



the nearer bird. Crown and sides 

 of head blackish; hne above eye, 

 ear patch and basal portion of outer 

 tail feathers white; under parts deep 

 buff. In li'inlcr, Ini. and 9 — As 

 shown b)' the bird in the rear; 

 streaked above; pale buff below, 

 with indistinct streaks on breast; 

 lesser wing coverts and outer tail 

 feathers largely white. L., 6.60; 

 W., 3.7s; T., 2.50; B., .40. Nest — 

 Of weeds and moss, lined with grass, 

 on the ground. 



Range — Interior. Breeds from 

 Mackenzie east to Hudson Bay. 

 Winters on the prairies from Kan. to 

 Tex. 



and finches, but after the manner of larks. Sometimes, 

 after very heavy snowfalls, they resort to barnyards or 

 along roadsides to appease their hunger. They apparently 

 never alight in trees, but sometimes do on walls or fences. 



Their summer homes are in the far north, where they sink 

 their nests in moss or rocky crevices. Arctic explorers have 

 met with them as far north as land exists. 



LONGSPURS are ground birds, of sparrow-like aspect, 

 deriving their name from the fact that the hind toe-nail is 

 unusually developed. They are of more than passing 

 interest because of the manner in which their plumage 

 changes in spring. The males during summer are hand- 

 somely marked with patches of black and chestnut, but this 

 shows little or not at all until late spring, for the tips of the 

 feathers on these strongly marked areas are grayish or 

 whitish, sometimes entirely concealing the color beneath 

 unless they are pushed to one side. As the season advances, 

 the tips of these feathers lose their life and a process of 

 erosion takes place, the ends of the feathers wearing away 



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