SNOW BUNTING OR SNOWFLAKE. 
534. Plectroplienax nivalis. 7 inches. 
To be found in the whole of the northern hemisphere, 
breeding within the Arctic Circle and wintering south to the 
central portions of the United States. They are one of the 
birds that change their dress completely from winter to sum¬ 
mer, in color. In winter they are a clear black and white, while 
in summer the black is changed for a coat of chestnut or 
brownish. They are to be found in the winters, on the hill¬ 
sides and in fields where the weeds are showing through, 
feeding upon the small seeds, and at this time they are as 
restless and uncertain as the snowflake itself, from which it 
is called. They nest on the ground, making it of dried grasses 
and lining with finer grass and feathers; the four or five eggs 
are a dull white, spotted and splashed with shades of brown, 
mostly on the larger end (,90x.65). 
McKAY SNOW BUNTING. 
535. Plectroplienax hyperboreus. 7 inches. 
This species is still more white than the preceding, having 
only a few specks of black on the tips of the primaries, 
and the central tail feather. They build, in crevices of the 
rocks on the ground, a nest of grass, lined with moss and 
feathers. 
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