34 EMBERrZID.E. 



INSESSORES. EMBERIZIDft. 



CONIROSTRES. 



PLATE XCVII. 



SNOW BUNTING. 



Plectrophanes nivalis. 



In close alliance with the Larks stand the Buntings, espe- 

 cially those species that are distinguished by the straightness 

 of the hinder claw ; namely, the Snow and Lapland Buntings. 

 These have, in consequence of characters and habits peculiar 

 to them, been separated by Meyer from the rest of the bunt- 

 ing family, and placed in the genus Plectrophanes of that 

 author. Besides the slight elongation and straightness of the 

 hinder claw, these species possess other characters assimilating 

 them especially with the larks ; their habits are terrestrial, 

 and as they walk upon the ground they move their feet 

 alternately. These two species are usually found to frequent 

 open, exposed, and rocky situations ; they perch, roost, and 

 breed upon the ground, and both are in summer chiefly con- 

 fined to high northern latitudes. In common with the true 

 Buntings, these birds feed upon grain, the seeds of various 

 plants, and insects. All the Buntings known in this country 

 have but one general moult ; but the difference between the 

 young and old, and the male and female, and also the gradual 

 changes that annually take place in the adult, by the wearing 

 away of the edges of the feathers, cause a great disparity of 

 appearance among different individuals. 



The Snow Bunting is one of the hardiest of European 



