REED-BUNTING 203 



water on the beach at Dangeness. Some of the nests 

 found at this date contained hard-set eggs, and all of 

 them showed signs of incubation. The nests were, as 

 a rule, within 12 inches of the ground, in the rank 

 grass and rushes ; two of them were right on the ground. 

 The nests are rather loosely constructed of grass, with 

 a slight lining of hair." In May, 1902, Mr. E. F. M. 

 Elms, in his Notes on the Birds of New Bomneij and 

 Littlestone, " found a nest of this species, containing five 

 typical eggs, built amongst the grasses of a ditch-bank, 

 and within a few inches of the water-level." Dr. A. G. 

 Butler says he had " seen individual examples from time 

 to time not far from Canterbury," but he received "a nest 

 from Mr. AV. Drake which had been found on the saltings 

 at Kemsley, near Sheppey." 



This species is included by Mr. Walter Prentis in his 

 Birds of Bainliam, under the heading of Black-headed 

 Bunting {Emheriza melanocepliala , Scopoli), which is an 

 error. 



Our Reed-Bunting {Emheriza schoeniclus, Linn.) was 

 by older authors called the Black-headed Bunting, and 

 it was not until the discovery of the accidental occurrence 

 of the large Black-headed Bunting {Emheriza {_Euspiza'] 

 melanocepliala, Scopoli) in England, that it was found 

 necessary to fall back on the old English name of Eeed- 

 Bunting, or Reed- Sparrow, for our resident species. 



