THE BUNTINGS. 
75 
E res . — Very handsomely marked and blotched with purplish- 
black, which takes the form of bold spots and scribblings, 
lines, and dashes. The ground-colour varies from stone-grey 
to creamy-white and purplish-brown, the underlying blotches 
being lilac or ashy-grey or even pinkish-grey. The overlying 
marks and lines are strongly pronounced, and are generally 
distributed over the whole egg, more rarely clustered round the 
larger end. Axis, 0-85-1-0 inch ; diam., 0-7-0-75. 
THE SNOW-BUNTINGS. GENUS PLECTROPIIENAX. 
Plectrophenax, Stejneger, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., v., p. 33 
(1882). 
Type, P. nivalis (Linn.). 
The Snow-Buntings are easily recognised from the other 
Buntings by their long wings, which reach nearly to the end 
of the tail. The plumage of the adults is black and white. 
Two species of Snow-Bunting are known, one being our British 
bird, which inhabits the northern portions of the Old and New 
Worlds, and the other, P. hyperboreus, being found in Alaska 
only. 
THE SNOW-BUNTING. PLECTROPHENAX NIVALIS. 
(Plate XI.) 
Emberiza nivalis , Linn., S. N.,i., p. 308 (1766) ; Seeb., Br. B., 
ii., p. 125 (1884). 
Plectrophanes nivalis, Macg., Br. B., i., p. 460 (1837) ; Dresser, 
B. Eur., iv., p. 261, pis. 224 and 225, fig. 2 (1873); Newt, 
ed. Yarr., ii., p, 1 (1876); B. Q. U. List Br. B., p. 63 
(1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. xvii. (1891). 
Plectrophenax nivalis, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xii., p. 57 2 
(1888); Saunders, Man., p. 215 (1889). 
Adult Male. — Black above; wing-coverts white; primary quills 
black, white at the base ; tail black, the outer feathers white, 
with a small black mark at the end of the outer web ; head and 
neck all round white, like the whole of the under surface ; bill 
dull yellow, darker round the tip ; feet black ; iris dark brown. 
Total length, 7 inches; culmen, 0-5; wing, 4’45 J tail > 2 '7 1 
tarsus, 0-85. 
Adult Female.— Like the male, but not so black ; the feathers 
mottled with greyish-white edges to the feathers ; the crown 
