246 



Bird Studies. 



This bird has been recorded from Long Island and Massachusetts as a 

 straggler. 



McCown's Longspur breeds from northwestern Kansas north through 



McCown's Long- Nebraska to the Plains of the Saskatchewan. In winter 



spur. j^ jg found as far south as Texas and Northern Mexico, 



Rhynchophanes mccownii . . _ . . y... , 



(Lawr.). and is of casual occurrence m lllmois. 



The male in summer has the crown black and there is a black crescent 

 shaped mark on the breast. . The shoulders are reddish brown. The remain- 

 der of the upper parts are gray or brownish, streaked with dusky; the tail is 

 white, except the two middle feathers, and each white feather is tipped 

 broadly with black. The lower parts, except the chest, are grayish white. 



The predominating impression that one gets of a Snow Bunting is that 

 of a white bird, but closer observation reveals very distinct and marked areas 

 of browns and blacks, varying with the seasons. 



The Snow Bunting is a strongly built, closely feathered 

 bird, calculated to withstand severe cold and storm. The 

 birds are rather more than six inches and three quarters long. 



In summer the males are white, except the back, the shoulders, and the 



Snow Bunting. 



Plectrophenax nivalis 

 (Linn.). 



SNOW BUNTING. 



