] 22 
EMBERIZA LAPPONICA. 
species is common in the hilly districts of eastern 
Europe, hut is chiefly confined within the Polar circle, 
though found abundantly in all the northern mountain- 
ous districts of Europe and Asia, particularly Siberia 
and Lapland. It is 'sometimes known to descend in 
autumn and winter, and, though very rarely, in spring, 
either singly and astray, or in immense xlouds, into the 
north and middle of Germany. Great numbers were 
seen in the neighbourhood of Frankfort on the Main, 
in the middle of November, 1821. In France, they 
are restricted to the loftiest and most inaccessible 
mountains, where they are very rare; so much so, 
that in those of the Vosges, Gerardin only met with a 
single specimen after six years’ researches, though more 
frequent in the mountains of Dauphin e. They are 
common during summer in Arctic America; and are 
found at Hudson ? s Bay in winter, not appearing before 
November : near the Severn river they haunt the cedar 
trees, upon wdiose berries they feed exclusively. These 
birds live in large flocks, and are of so social a disposi- 
tion, that when separated from their own species, or 
when in small parties, they always join company with 
the common lark of Europe ; or in America, with some 
of the different snow birds. They feed chiefly on seeds, 
especially of the dwarf willow's growing in frozen and 
mountainous countries, hut occasionally also on leaves, 
grass, and insects. The}^ breed on small hillocks, in 
open marshy fields ; the nest is loosely constructed with 
moss and grasses, lined with a few feathers. The female 
lays five or six oblong eggs, yellowish rusty, somewhat 
clouded with brown. The Lapland longspur, like the 
larks, never sings but suspended aloft in the air, at 
which time it utters a few agreeable and melodious 
notes. 
As may be seen by the synonyms, this bird has 
been condemned by nomenclators to fluctuate between 
different genera. But between Fringilla and Emberiza 
it is not difficult to decide, as it possesses all the charac- 
ters of the latter in an eminent degree, even more so 
than its near relative the snow bunting, which has 
