BUNTING 



549 



Local in its distribution, and migrating to the southern districts in 

 winter, the wood-lark is a much less common bird in England than 

 its larger cousin. It is also to be found locally in several parts of 

 Ireland, where it breeds ; and the same is 

 the case with the southern and central 

 counties of Scotland, but to the more northern 

 districts it is only a straggler, although it has 

 been recorded at least once from the Orkneys. 

 Outside Great Britain the range of the species 

 is comparatively restricted, including Europe 

 as far north as latitude 60 , but extending 

 into Asia only so far as Persia. To southern 

 Europe and North Africa it is chiefly known 

 as a winter-visitor. 



With the exception that it frequents the 

 outskirts of woods, where it perches on 

 branches from which it takes its soaring 

 flights, the wood-lark has the same general 

 habits as the other members of the famih-, 

 and displays its essential affinity with them 

 by roosting on the ground. Connoisseurs 



in such matters consider its melody superior to that of the sky-lark. 

 The wood -lark also excels the latter species in the matter of nest- 

 building, the constituents of the structure being more closely woven 

 together, and the lining consisting of finer material. 



WOOD-LAKK. 



Bunting" 

 (Emberiza 

 miliaria). 



the Frineillidai. 



Although by a few writers they are referred to a 

 family by themselves, there can be little hesitation 

 in including the bunting and yellow hammer in the 

 same family group with the finches, that is to say, 

 Widely distributed in both the western and eastern 

 hemispheres, and containing a very large number of species, presenting 

 great variation in form and appearance, although with a general 

 resemblance to one another, that family is characterised by the 

 absence of notches in the cutting-edges of the more or less stout and 

 conical beak ; the smooth covering of the hind-surface of the shank of 

 the leg, the front of which carries shield-like scales ; the presence of 

 twelve tail-feathers and of only nine primary quills in the wings, the 

 first and second of which are nearly equal in length ; the position of 

 the nostrils close to the base of the beak and near the middle line ; 

 and the short and sparse bristles at the gape. The plumage of the 



