The Snow Bunting. 183 



is sometimes mistaken for a Pied Lark by amateur bird- 

 catcbers. 



Habits and Breeding. — Tbe Snow Bunting principally 

 inhabits tbe North of Europe, and breeds in Greenland, 

 Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Russia. It visits Germany 

 during part of the year, and is common in Great Britain 

 from October to April, but does not breed in England, so 

 far as is known. It is very common in Scotland, and fond 

 of being near the seashore. 



The birds travel together in search of food, sometimes in 

 large numbers, at other times in batches of twenty or 

 thirty. They fly low, and only go a few hundreds of yards 

 at a time, unless a gun is fired at them, when they hurry 

 off in a scared manner. They utter a peculiar note when 

 on the wing, and just before they alight they wheel suddenly 

 round, and appear to drop all together, or in close proximity 

 to each other. They eat ivy and yew berries and haws, 

 and in severe weather feed on turnip tops. They resemble 

 Larks in some respects, more particularly in their method of 

 flying, and roosting on the ground, and in the way in which 

 they run along the sand on the seashore. They are timid 

 birds, but when driven by hunger will visit the rickyard, 

 and even the farmyard and barn, in the hope of finding a 

 few scattered grains of corn wherewith to appease their 

 cravings ; but they take to flight on the least alarm. Snow 

 Buntings will not breed in confinement, and seldom live long ; 

 they are very restless, and appear ever on the alert to seize 

 the first opportunity of regaining their liberty. 



Methods of Capture. — These birds are difficult to ap- 

 proach, excepting during severe weather, for they are very shy, 

 and easily scared. A piece of ground should be cleared, 

 where they are known to frequent, and strewed with oats 

 and limed twigs ; and a few may be placed near the water's 

 edge of any pool, or ditch, or running brook, which they 

 are known to visit for the purpose of drinking or bathing. 



Food and Treatment. — In a wild state. Snow Buntings 

 feed on various kinds of berries and seeds, and are very 

 partial to oats. In confinement, they are fond of groats 

 and hemp seed, and will eat millet, canary, maw, and 

 lin seed ; they appear to enjoy green food, and eat lettuce, 

 watercress, and the tops of young swede turnips. They 



