BUNTINGS 121 



what resembles in its plumage the shore-lark. The 

 buntings are, at any rate, much more allied by voice 

 to the pipits than are the finches, which are often 

 placed nearer to them, The song of the cirl-bunting 

 does not vary in pitch during utterance. In this 

 respect that of the yellow bunting is sometimes 

 the same, but in Gloucestershire, and in the adjoining 

 counties, it generally rises in pitch as the phrase pro- 

 ceeds ; and as a rule this is followed by one, or two, 

 shriller notes. An idea of the song has been sug- 

 gested by the words, A little little bit of bread and no 

 cheese. Bechstein thought the song of the corn- 

 bunting shorter and less soft than that of the yellow 

 bunting (pp. cit. p. 1 1 7). The song of this bird 

 resembles the noise made by shaking a few small 

 keys together in the hand, beginning slowly and 

 ending rapidly. The same writer thought the 

 warbling of the ortolan had some resemblance to 

 that of the yellow bunting, but with the last notes 

 much deeper. Dr. A. G. Butler writes : " The song 

 of the ortolan bunting is a mere repetition (about five 

 times) of one note, in a bunting-like song, brief and 

 unmodulated " (in litt.). Bechstein observed that the 

 song of the European Emberiza da. (Linn.) is shorter 

 and clearer than that of the English yellow bunting 

 (op. cit. p. 1 1 8). 



