288 FINCLIES, SPA Raows. are.

It’aztg/r’.—“ Europe generallymxeept extreme northern part “(Sharpet ln- troduecd near New York city and Boston.

Ms], externally, of grasses and plant down. lined with plant down, in coniferous trees. [gm/s, tour to live, white, with purplish spots. ‘7': x '50.

This European species was introduced into this country at lio- boken, N. J.. in 1878. The following year it appeared in Central Park, New York city. It has since spread over the northern parts of the city, and in favorable places is a not uncommon permanent resident. It has also been introduced in the vicinity of Boston, Mass, where it is to be found in small numbers. In general habits it rescin-

bles its American cousin, with which it sometimes associates.

534. Plectrophenax nivalis (Lima). SNOWFLAKE: SNOW BUNT- ING. Ad. 6 in sunzmrr.—Whole head and neck, rump, and under parts white; back and s -apulars black; wings white, the end half of the primaries and inner secondaries black; outer tail—feathers white. inner ones black. All. 9 in, sumzmr.—.\‘imilar, but entire upper parts streaked with black: primaries all t'useous; secondaries more or less tipped with t'useous. 6 in winter.— Upper parts a kind of rusty brown, almost umber on the center of the crown; back streaked with black, caused by the black bases of the feathers showing through their rusty tips; wings and tail much as in summer, but more or less edged with rusty ; under parts white, the breast and sides washed with rusty. 9 in, uvz'ntcr.r.\'imilar to a , but. the primaries all t'useous. L., 6'88; W., 4'07; T., 2'70: 1%., '42.

liazzg/n.—" Northern parts of the northern hemisphere. breeding in the aretie regions; in North America. south in winter into the northern United States. irregularly to Georgia. southern Illinois, and Kansa-

\\'ashin_«_rton, W. \'., 'asual. one instance. Sing Sing, irregular W. \'../Oet. 2:3 to Meh. :13. Cambridge, common \\'. \'., ()et. '15 to Melt. 25; abundant in migrations.

first, of grasses. rootlets. and moss, lined with finer grasses and feathers, on the ground. [fin/s. tour to seven. pale bluish white. thinly marked with amber or heavily spotted or washed with rut'ousrbrown. «‘5 x ‘64.

The Snowflake may readily be known by the fact that it is the only one of our sparrowlike birds that has white. predominating on its wings and tail, as well as on its body. It feeds exclusively on seeds, and is so much like the Shorelark in habits that the two species oc 1a- sionally associate. The Snowflake is also strictly a ground: bird. never perehing on a tree, though it often does so on a house or fence. It always progresses by walking, not by hoppinW.

'I‘hroughout ('anada and the northern tier of States this is the familiar little white bird of winter. As soon as the (:hill season comes on in icy rigors, the merry Snowflakes appear in great flocks. and (some foraging about the barnyards when there is no bare ground left in the adjacent fields. Apparently they get but little to eat, but in reality they always find enough to keep them in health and spirits, and are as