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Range (Europe generally except)

"Europe generally, except extreme northern part" (Sharpe). Introduced near New York city and Boston. Nest, externally, of grasses and plant down, lined with plant down, in coniferous trees. Eggs, four to five, white, with purplish spots, 72 x 50. This European species was introduced into this country at Hoboken, 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 resembles its American cousin, with which it sometimes associates. 534. Plectrophenax nivalis (Linn.). SNOWFLAKE; SNOW BUNT- ING. Ad. & in summer. -Whole head and neck, rump, and under parts white; back and scapulars black; wings white, the end half of the primaries and inner secondaries black; outer tail-feathers white, inner ones black. Ad. q in summer. Similar, but entire upper parts streaked with black; primaries all fuscous; secondaries more or less tipped with fuscous. & 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. 2 in winter.-Similar to ♂, but the primaries all fuscous. L., 6.88; W., 4·07; T., 2.70; B., 42.

Range.-"Northern parts of the northern hemisphere, breeding in the arctic regions; in North America, south in winter into the northern United States, irregularly to Georgia, southern Illinois, and Kansas." Washington, W. V., casual, one instance. Sing Sing, irregular W. V., Oct. 25 to Mch. 22. Cambridge, common W. V., Oct. 25 to Mch. 25; abundant in migrations.

Nest, of grasses, rootlets, and moss, lined with finer grasses and feathers, on the ground. Eggs, four to seven, pale bluish white, thinly marked with umber or heavily spotted or washed with rufous-brown, 85 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 occasionally associate. The Snowflake is also strictly a ground bird, never perching on a tree, though it often does so on a house or fence. It always progresses by walking, not by hopping.

Throughout Canada and the northern tier of States this is the familiar little white bird of winter. As soon as the chill season comes on in icy rigors, the merry Snowflakes appear in great flocks, and come 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 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. fat as butter balls. In midwinter, in the far north, when the thermometer showed thirty degrees below zero, and the chill blizzard was blowing on the plains, I have seen this brave little bird gleefully chasing his fellows, and pouring out as he flew his sweet, voluble song with as much spirit as ever Skylark has in the sunniest days of June. As long as the snow lasts the Snowflake stays, and as soon as the ground grows bare and there is promise of better days, this bird of winter betakes himself again to the north, as far as ever human foot has been, and there builds his nest.