The Occurrence of the Lapland Longspur ( Calcar ius lafifto7iicus) in 
Mid-winter in Massachusetts. — On January 12, 1902, the writer, with Mr. 
H. M. Spelman and Mr. R. S. Eustis, found between forty and fifty of 
these birds at Ipswich. Four or five were on a hillside about half a mile 
from the beach, and the remainder among the sand-dunes by the sea. 
The day was stormy and cold, the fine snow blowing and drifting so that 
the beach grass on which they were feeding was more or less covered. 
Perhaps on this account the birds were tamer than usual and allowed a 
close approach. The Longspurs were alone, and also associated with 
Horned Larks and Snow Buntings. Three Ipswich Sparrows were seen 
with them. 
It is not uncommon to find the Longspurs in the early part of Decem- 
ber in Ipswich. Thus I have records for December 10, 1898, and Decem- 
ber 8, 1901. — Cha 
Mass. 
p. , 
The Lapland Longspur Wintering in Massachusetts. — In our 1 Birds 
of Massachusetts’ (1901), Mr. Reginald Heber Howe, Junior, and the 
undersigned, gave, as the only instance known to us of the wintering of 
the Lapland Longspur in the State, the record of one from Ipswich, Jan. 
6, 1877. This specimen with above date on the label, is preserved in the 
mounted collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. By a mere 
chance the fact came out that this specimen, which was presented by 
Messers. E. A. & O. Bangs, was probably from the same lot of birds, 
bought at the Boston Market, from which came the McCown’s Longspur, 
credited by Mr. C. J. Maynard to Massachusetts. It appears that the 
market-man of whom the specimens were obtained, when asked if they 
came from Ipswich, replied, as he naturally would, in the affirmative, and 
it seems reasonable to believe that these two birds were in reality from 
the West, and that there are no actual winter records for the State. Lately, 
however, Mr. Howe, in company with Mr. Louis Agassiz Shaw, while at 
Ipswich on the 18th of January, 1902, took one, and saw at least five others, 
so that we are now able to give the species unquestioned standing as of 
at least occasional occurrence in Massachusetts in winter. 
While on. three trips to Ipswich during the autumn of 1901 (Oct. 22, 
Nov. 9 and 28) Mr. Howe found Longspurs in unusual abundance, and 
apparently, as this season has been comparatively mild, a proportion have 
remained to winter with the Snow Buntings and Horned Larks.— Glover 
M. Allen, Cambridge. Mass. - 
Afik, XIX April., 1902, pp ■ ZoX-Z°3. 
