ORTOLAN BUNTING. 83 



Saunders, who investigated its history, accepted it as a genuine 

 wild wanderer, but it certainly must have been hopelessly lost. 

 In this bird the crown and a band across the breast are warm 

 chestnut streaked with darker brown ; its ear-coverts are also 

 chestnut, and across its white chin and throat there is a black 

 moustachial streak. 



Ortolan Bunting. Emberiza hortiila?ia Linn. 



The Ortolan breeds in Europe, except in the extreme north, 

 and the Mediterranean Basin, and is, though it has only 

 recently been realised, a regular bird of passage through our 

 islands. Careful observation at Fair Island, due to the efforts 

 of Mr. Eagle Clarke, has proved regular spring and autumn 

 passage, and explains the many occurrences of the bird in other 

 places, not only on the east and south coasts, but on the west, 

 where three or four were seen or obtained in 19 13. Fat 

 Ortolans are considered a dainty, and many are imported alive 

 into England for the table ; it has been suggested that escapes 

 of these doomed captives explained some at any rate of the 

 British occurrences. Considering that the bird nests in Scandi- 

 navia almost as far north as the Arctic circle, and that it 

 migrates to North and West Africa, it would be strange if 

 stragglers were not met with, checked by contrary winds or 

 dropping to rest. 



The bird nests on the ground, and has a song described as 

 similar to that of the Yellow Hammer, but with a different 

 ending, but in Britain we are not likely to see enough of these 

 casuals to study habits. 



The male bird, as shown on Plate 35, has an olive-green 

 head and breast, and a sulphur-yellow streak running back- 

 wards from the angle of the bill, caused by the yellow chin 

 and throat being crossed by a moustachial stripe. The wings 

 are brown and the striated back and rump dark brown ; the 



