AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 171 



been found in Shetland; but the true summer 

 home of the Snow-Bunting is still further to the 

 north, in Iceland, Spitzbergen, Novaya Zemla, and 

 the arctic regions of North America ; it also breeds 

 in Norway, Finland, the Faroes, and Northern 

 Siberia. In the few instances in which, as above 

 mentioned, we met with this bird in the highlands 

 of Inverness-shire, we found it exceedingly tame, 



Sno-vv^-JBtintirLgs. 



running about within a few yards of us, and 

 feeding on the seeds of various grasses which grew 

 by the burn-sides : in one instance the bird was so 

 confiding that I nearly caught it with my cap ; but 

 this was no doubt caused by the fact that a Merlin 

 was hunting over the moss at the moment when the 

 ' Snowflake," as this bird is often called, fluttered 

 up at our feet. The call-note of this species is 

 pleasing and musical, and the male has an agreeable 

 song, which, however, I have only heard from a caged 

 bird. In captivity the Snow-Bunting will eat almost 

 any sort of seed, and generally dies of plethora unless 



