rKlNGILLlN.E. 133 



tion (Sccbolirn, Ibis, 1884, p. 42). It is principally known in the 

 south as a winter visitor, but it breeds on Fuji-yama (Blakiston, 

 Amended List of the Birds of Japan, p. 61). 



112. EMBERIZA SCH(ENICLUS. 

 (REED-BUNTING.) 



Eniberiza schceniclns, Linneus, Syst. Xat. i. p. .311 (17G0). 



The male Reed-Bunting diflers from all other Buntings known to 

 visit Japan in having a white nuchal collar. The female closely 

 resembles that of Emberiza yessoensis, but is rather larger and much 

 greyer, especially on the rump and upper taihcoverts. 



Figures : Dresser, Birds of Europe, iv. pi. 221 (females), pi. 222. 

 fig. 1 (male) ; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1876, pi. viii. fig. 2 (male in autumn 

 plumage of eastern race). 



The Reed-Bunting is said to be only a summer visitor to Yezzo, 

 and to the mountains in the more southerly Japanese Islands, 

 descending to the plains in winter. There are two examples from 

 Hakodadi (one of them the type of Schcenicola pyrrhulina) in the 

 Swinhoe collection, and there are twenty from the Yokohama game- 

 market in the Pryer collection. 



The range of the Reed-Bunting extends eastwards from the British 

 Islands, across Europe and Asia at least as far as the meridian of 

 Calcutta. I found it common in the valley of the Yenesay, and 

 General Prjevalski obtained it at Lob Nor. Taczanowski saj^s that 

 examples obtained by Dybowski in Kamtschatka are identical with 

 the European bird, and it is probable that the range of this species 

 across Siberia is continuous. At what point in its geographical 

 distribution the bill begins to thicken is not known, but Radde 

 remarks it in an example obtained by him near Tarei Nor. 



The Eastern race may be regarded as subspecifically distinct under 

 the name of Emberiza schoeniclus palustris, on the ground that in the 

 east the thick-billed birds are most numerous, whilst in the west the 

 contrary is the case. 



It is not known that the Reed-Bunting of Japan differs in the 

 slightest particular from its representative in the British Islands, 

 except in having a slightly thicker bill, and in having rather fewer 

 dark stripes on the flanks. Both these characters are, however, very 

 variable, and examples from Italy and Asia Minor may be found 



