SNOW BUNTING. 35 



birds, residing in summer within the Arctic circle, in the 

 coldest regions of the northern hemisphere, and extending its 

 migration as far towards the pole as any European traveller 

 has at present penetrated. It is found in summer in the 

 most northern parts of Sweden and Lapland, in Spitzbergen, 

 Nova Zembla, Iceland, and other islands ; and in the coun- 

 tries of Asia that border upon the icy sea ; also in the most 

 northern parts of America, as Greenland, &c. On the ap- 

 proach of winter this species migrates southward, and in- 

 undates various countries with its numberless flocks — such as 

 central Siberia, Russia, and the south of Sweden ; also the 

 southern part of Norway and its numerous islands. In 

 North America it descends in winter to the regions about 

 Hudson's Bay and Canada, and if the season is very severe 

 passes still lower. The coasts of Germany and Holland, of 

 Scotland and England, are also visited annually by flocks of 

 these birds. 



In the northern regions frequented by the Snow Buntings 

 in summer, they are observed to inhabit very elevated spots ; 

 by Linnseus they are said to have been seen two thousand 

 feet above the line of perpetual snow upon the Lapland Alps. 

 In Scotland the same partiality for mountainous situations is 

 observable, this species being frequently seen in winter, un- 

 less the weather is remarkably severe, fifteen hundred or two 

 thousand feet above the level of the sea. In very severe 

 weather only, when the hills are deeply covered with snow, 

 is it driven to descend lower ; and even then it mostly seeks 

 only the valleys that lie sheltered among the hills ; occasion- 

 ally, however, retreating to the sea-shore. 



The most southerly of the breeding-stations of this species 

 that has been recorded, according to Dr. Richardson, is 

 Southampton Island, in the 62nd parallel. But, although 

 the fact has not at present been ascertained, there seems 

 every reason to believe that the Snow Bunting breeds upon 



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