86 HEWITSON'S " BRITISH OOLOGY." 



Bunting's egg in which the markings were bold and distinct ; and 

 that figured by Mr. Hewitson accords with our observation. It is 

 quite sufficient to glance at that of the Common Snowfleck to con- 

 firm the propriety of the bird's separation from Emberiza. We 

 have for some years kept a specimen in captivity, and certainly can 

 see but little similitude in it to the Buntings. 



It is with pleasure we gaze next on a tolerably well filled out 

 plate, containing six illustrations of the eggs of Eviberizce ; two of 

 the Corn Bunting, two of the Yellow Bunting, and two of the 

 Keed Bunting. The first and last are admirable, and indeed those 

 of the Yellow Bunting are very good, but we should like to have 

 seen one of those beautiful and boldly dashed specimens of the lat- 

 ter : fig. 3 is not a common variety. We have a yolkless specimen 

 less than an ordinary egg of the Goldencrowned Kinglet. Reed 

 Bunting's eggs vary a good deal in size ; we have examples both 

 considerably larger and much smaller than Mr. Hewitson's figures : 

 one of the former is curiously marked longitudinally. We very 

 much admire this plate. 



Two figures of Passer domesticus and two of P. arbnreus occupy 

 the next, both of which are endlessly variable. We could have 

 supposed the latter had been drawn from specimens now before us, 

 so minutely exact is the resemblance. As to the Common Spar- 

 row's egg, a dozen figures would hardly suffice to shew its varia- 

 tion, many examples of it being indeed very beautiful. This is an 

 excellent plate. Does not the immature plumage of the Tree 

 Sparrow resemble that of the female of P. domesticus ? 



Two eggs of the Green Finch, and two of the Common Chaf- 

 finch ; all accurate in the extreme, but the latter hardly sufficiently 

 diverse. We have several, from different nests, pure blue and spot- 

 less, others with only a mark or two ; some as dark as ordinary 

 specimens of the Reed Bunting's eggs, others very like a Green 

 Finch's; some almost spherical, and others, again, extremely elon- 

 gated : besides which are endless modifications of the colours and 

 markings. One, if not both, of the Green Finch's eggs should 

 have been tinged with green. We have a beautiful specimen of 

 the Chaffinch's nest lined with large white goose's feathers ; a cir- 

 cumstance of very unusual occurrence. 



In the next plate we have two eggs of the Song Linnet, one of 

 the Mountain Linnet, and one of the little Rose Linnet, or Redpole ; 

 all, so far as we have seen, very characteristic, though at least one 

 of those of the Song Linnet should have been rather of a more 

 blueish tinge. 



