THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATUBAl 





astonished us most by it* numbers, was the 

 Lapland Bunting or Longspur (Pleclr op hemes 

 lapponicus). The inhabitants told us they 



occur theie every winter, and are called hy 

 them the black or dark Snow-bird, but to us 

 they began to appear about the 17th of April. 

 First we observed three flying over us as we 

 were tramping the marshy shore in search of 

 desirable species coming in our way. The 

 Huntings were leisurely flying eastward, con- 

 stantly uttering notes differing somewhat from 

 those of the Snow Bunting (Plectrophanes 

 nivalis) being harsher and in a different tone. 

 The following Sunday, April 23rd, I was 

 reading in the house of our host, when my 

 assistant returned fiom a walk on the shore ; 

 he informed me that he noticed a flock ot 

 about two hundred birds which wer. strange 

 to him, and very remarkable by their black 

 throats. When these birds alighted on the 

 ground, a person could walk into the midst of 

 the flock, within six teet of many of them, but 

 on the least noise being made, they would 

 become alarmed, rising in a circular manner 

 to the height of about seventy feet, and for a 

 time disappear. We saw flocks of from six to 

 one hundred and fifty al.nost daily until about 

 the 20th of May, when they left us altogether. 

 The specimens shot at the latter date were 

 invariably lemales, but we succeeded in 

 collecting about sixty, many ot which are 

 beautiful adult males. Why do not these 

 birds occur at or near Hyde Park or London, 

 while they are so abundant at Mitchell's Bay ? 

 I presume they follow the shore of lakes, 

 therefore passing over the latter places ; at all 

 events I have not hitherto heard their notes, 

 although collecting birds in the neighbourhood 

 during the last seven years. I had a single 

 specimen in my collection and looked on it as 

 rare until this Spring. It was shot near St. 

 Thomas, Ontario. The song of the Lapland 

 Bunting is very similar to that of the Purple 

 Finch (Carpodacus purpureus,) and they were 

 full song after we noticed them. We 

 lected one specimen of the Cape May 

 Warbler (Dendrceca tigrina) which is the 

 first I have seen in this region. 



John A. Morden, 

 Hyde Park, Ont., July 1882. 



Note — We have no record of the occurrence 

 f the Lapland Bunting in the Province 

 f Quebec. The Snow Bunting (P. nivalis) is 

 frequently accompanied in early Spring with 



the Shore Larli ( Eremophila 

 latter ie abundant on the I. 

 in Hocks in Spring. The inlie 

 make an excellent pi'-. 



Di ah Sib, — C. J. <•. Praeer writ< 

 about Jii/Ini:; ludoviciann 

 reasons 1 think the bin! i- fj • - 

 (Eremophila cornuta). The I 

 here through tin- rammer, wli • 

 ludovicianua only occurs] during the n 

 and then sparingly. Shore Larl 

 always breed on commons h h 

 and their nests are generally placed in a -mall 

 hollow on level ground. That i- the - 

 difference between ''..i.e. | 

 ludoviciunus, and my observations <>i cornut*t, 

 I have often seen tin' latter rising in •' 

 singing jts " sweel note," until it read 

 height of " perhaps fifty feet," when suddenly 

 closing its wings, it drop- perpendicularly till 

 within about twenty feel of the ground. 

 Generally, however, the bird mount* much 

 higher, ol ten so high that, lying on my bark 

 on the ground, I have had some difficulty in 

 following its flight; probably tin' di--. 

 would be about two hundred yards. 

 Fraser was evidently a tyro in Ornithology at 

 the time of bis observations, conloui 

 two birds which to-day lie would at • 

 recognize as distinct species. Query- — Bow 

 far east have Orchard Orioles reached ? They 

 are very common in Kent County, not rare 

 here: a small number bleed, but 1 have not 

 heard from further east. 



Yours truly, 



YV. I-!. S \; \ il 



London, 0., July 22nd, 1882 



COLEOPTE1! A FOTJ HD IN 

 PKOVINCK OF QUEBEC. 

 By William Coupsb. 



Bembidiim I paludosum, Ponxer. 



2 majquale, Say. 



3 chalceum, Dej. 

 I nigrum, Say. 



,') simplex, / < Conte 

 lucid urn, 



7 eemistriatum, llald. 



8 rupestre, Dej. 

 '.) patruele, " 



111 ■ 



