72 
Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 
Plectrophanes nivalis. 
Of the Snow Bunting it is needless to say more than that it 
is very generally distributed throughout the country, from 
Hudson’s Bay to the Bocky Mountains, and has been found 
breeding in the north ; and that a few small parties sometimes 
winter on the plains of the Saskatchawan and at Bed Biver 
Settlement where they can find any patches of ground free from 
snow, while the main body goes further south. On the Saskat¬ 
chawan Biver they may be met with early in October, and at Bed 
Biver Settlement by the 10th. Great docks left Fort Carlton, 
bound southward, in the first few days of November; and after 
the 3rd of December I saw none there till late in March. At 
Bed Biver Settlement, in 1859,1 saw some on the 7th of April, 
and by the 10th there were large flocks. It was a very late 
spring, and large numbers were passing in their migration till 
the end of the month. In spring, I have seen them perched on 
the shingled roofs of the cattle-sheds in the warm sun, chirping 
away quite merrily with a clear note, such as I never heard them 
utter in the autumn; I consequently presume that in their 
breeding-places in the far north they may be found to have a 
^pleasant song. I suppose that the Snow Bunting does not often 
perch on trees, although I once observed one do so; but as it 
was just after I had taken a shot into a flock of them, I fancied 
it might have been a wounded bird. 
60. Plectrophanes lapponicus. 
Besides the specimen already recorded from the Saskatchawan 
( f Ibis/ vol. iv. p. 6), I have received the Lapland Bunting from 
the western shore of Hudson’s Bay; and Mr. Murray notes it 
from the same locality. Sir John Bichardson says that it breeds 
in the moist meadows on the shores of the Arctic Sea; and 
Mr. Ross includes it among the birds of the Mackenzie. 
Towards the end of May they were in large flocks on the prairies 
at Fort Carlton, and were then very fat. 
61. Plectrophanes pictus. 
In the f Fauna Bor.-Am.’ it is stated that this Bunting was 
observed associating with the preceding species at Fort Carlton. 
In the Smithsonian Institution there is a specimen from Pern- 
