SNOW BUNTING. 
319 
Their occurrence in Scotland during summer 
is now known as a very rare occurrence, though 
w r e have often expressed our conviction, that 
straggling pairs would be discovered on our 
higher mountains. Mr Macgillivray states, that 
he and Dr Greville observed a beautiful male 
flitting in the neighbourhood of a patch of snow, 
on the summit of Ben-na Muic-dui, on the 4th of 
August; and some days after a party of eight, 
evidently a brood, was observed on Loehnagar.* 
The state in which the birds are seen on their 
arrival in this country, is in the adult winter 
plumage, or as that of the young birds of the 
last broods. In the first, the shoulders and 
secondary quills are pure white, the latter some- 
times with a proportion of black at the tips, and 
these markings, when the wings are expanded in 
flight, exhibit a bright but variegated appearance. 
The head, cheeks, neck, and sides of the breast, 
back, and rump, appear nearly chestnut brown, 
but on the back and scapulars the feathers are 
black, with the tips grayish chestnut, and on the 
centre of the back and scapulars, these not 
entirely concealing the black, gives a rich pied 
appearance. The quills are black. The tail, 
with the middle feathers, dark brownish black, 
edged with yellowish brown, the three outer 
feathers white, tipped with black on the outer 
w’ebs. These are also conspicuously seen in 
flight when the wings are expanded. The under 
parts are nearly pure white, with a slight tint of 
* Macgillivray, British Birds, i. p. 464. 
