406 
PERCHING BIRDS. 
observed on the higher mountain-tops of the west of Sutherland by Mr. Peach, who 
in the following year captured the young of this species in a corrie. In 1888 Mr. 
J. Young announced that during the previous summer he had taken a nest of the 
snow-bunting in the north of Scotland, containing the only eggs of the species 
discovered up to that time on the mainland of Great Britain. Upon that occasion 
the observer in question was searching for ptarmigan upon the mountains between 
Sutherland and Caithness, and while descending some difficult ground he recognised 
the call-note of the snow-bunting, and with some difficulty reached the nest, which 
contained five richly-coloured eggs, and was composed of bents and moss, lined 
with a few ptarmigan’s feathers, and one or two small pieces of wool. Since then, 
several nests of the snow-bunting have been found in Scotland, one of the 
number having been secured for the national collection. Professor Newton says 
that a considerable number of snow-buntings pass the summer in the Faroes, where, 
on the south islands, they are restricted to the mountain-tops; although, on the 
northern ones, they frequent the lower grounds in small colonies. Throughout 
Iceland the species is perhaps the commonest of small birds, a pair or more being 
established in nearly every convenient locality, even amongst the most desolate 
lava - streams; and it breeds there almost on the sea-level as well as up to the 
snow-line. As is shown by the accumulation of old materials often found therein, 
the birds commonly use the same nest-hole more than once. The eggs vary 
from four to six in number, and are white in ground - colour, more or less 
tinged with palish greenish blue, splashed with dull lilac, and spotted with 
brownish red. They are laid in a nest built of dry grass and roots lined with 
hair or soft feathers, especially those of the ptarmigan. The snow-bunting has 
occasionally nested, and even hatched its young in confinement; but we are not 
aware of the young having been brought to maturity under artificial condi¬ 
tions. The adult male has the crown ruddy brownish black; the scapulars 
are black, edged with reddish brown; the primaries black; the secondaries 
white, the outer ones being marked on both edges with black; the central tail- 
feathers are black tipped with white; the under tail-feathers white streaked with 
black on the outer edges; a rusty band crosses the breast, and the lower-parts are 
white. In summer the light tips to the feathers of the upper-parts are shed, and 
the bird then appears to be black and white, black predominating. 
Lapland Bunting O ne mos t widely distributed of small birds is the Lapland 
bunting (Calcarius lapponicus), a circumpolar bird, inhabiting the 
high northern regions only during the summer months, and migrating southwards 
to more congenial winter quarters before the arrival of frost and snow in its 
northern home. It is also found throughout the northern parts of North America. 
During the summer season this bird frequents the fell-mosses of Norway and 
Sweden, especially such as are covered with grass and willow-scrub and are 
situated below the snow region. Not inhabiting the high mountains on which 
the snow-bunting breeds, it prefers the upland swamps, and Mr. Seebohm states 
that in Northern Europe the Lapland bunting seeks the swampiest ground it can 
find, so long as there are tussocks of dry grass full of flowers where it can breed. 
If there be also a few stunted willows or birches upon which it can perch, so much 
the better. The nest is nearly always placed in some hole in a side of the little 
