444 EMBERIZA MILIARIA. 



About the middle of spring the flocks break up, and towards 

 the end of April the Buntings begin to form their nests, which 

 are composed of dry stalks and blades of grass, Avith a lining of 

 fibrous roots and hair, and are placed at the base of some strong 

 plant, beside a grassy tuft, under a bush, or in an open pasture 

 or cultivated field. The eggs are four or five, regularly oval, 

 ten and a half twelfths long, with a transverse diameter of 

 from seven and a half to eight tw^elfths, greyish or purplish- 

 white, patched and spotted with pale greyish- purple, and 

 marked w4th spots, dots, and curved streaks of blackish-brown. 



Young. — The young when fledged are nearly of the same 

 colours as their parents, the upper parts lighter, the lower pale 

 grey, with oblong dark spots. 



Progress toward Maturity. — At the first moult the colours 

 deepen, but the young may still be distinguished from the old 

 by their having the dark markings more elongated. 



Remarks. — Having before me two fine specimens shot by 

 myself to-day (15th March), which exhibit a very remarkable 

 difference as to size, I am induced to offer a few remarks on 

 this subject. One of them in fact appears a giant compared 

 with the other. Their dimensions are as follows. Length to 

 end of tail 8j\, 7i ; extent of wings 18i, 11 1% ; bill along the 

 ridge y|, y| ; wing from flexure 4j;^2, Sj\; tail 3^, 2{ J ; tar- 

 sus 1, iJ ; hind toe j%, y| ; its claw j%, j% ; third toe ^§, | ; 

 its claw j%, j|. Similar differences exist in most of our native 

 birds ; but it would manifestly be absurd to found specific dis- 

 tinctions upon them. These two Buntings are precisely similar 

 in colouring, only the bill of the large individual has the lower 

 mandible more vellow. 



