THE BUNTINGS. 65 



Nest. — Generally placed low down in some marshy bank, 

 but we have often found it in a bush a yard or two above the 

 water, though never suspended in reeds. 



Eggs.— Four to six in number. Ground-colour, stone-brown 

 or clay-colour, scribbled and blotched all over with black, with 

 occasional spots of black, the " writing " marks always very 

 distinct. Axis, 075-085 ; diam., 0-55-0-6. 



II. THE LITTLE BUNTING. EMBERIZA PUSILLA. 



Emberiza pusilla, Pall. Reise. Russ. Reichs., hi., p. 697 (1776) ; 



Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 34 (1876); Dresser, B. Eur., iv., p. 



235, pi. 220 (1877) ; B. O. U. List Br. B., p. 61 (1883) ; 



Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 144 (1884) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., 



xii., p. 487 (1888); Saunders, Man., p. 209 (1889). 

 Adult Male. — Above rufous-brown, broadly streaked with 

 black, the rump duller in colour ; under surface white, the sides 

 of the body streaked with blackish-brown, but without any tinge 

 of yellow below ; breast distinctly streaked ; ear-coverts and 

 throat vinous-chestnut ; bill brown, whitish on the lower man- 

 didle ; feet reddish-grey ; iris brown. Total length, 4-8 inches ; 

 culmen, 0*4; wing, 2-8; tail, 2*1; tarsus, o'8. 



Adult Female. — Like the male, but not quite so richly tinted, 

 and less distinctly striped below. 



Young. — Lacks the rufous colour on the throat, which is 

 white. It may be distinguished from that of the Reed-Bunting 

 by its smaller size, chestnut crown, and especially by having the 

 wing-coverts brown with dusky centres, not uniform chestnut. 



Range in Great Britain. — A very rare and occasional visitor, 

 having once been taken near Brighton. 



Range outside the British Islands. — Northern Russia, from the 

 valley of the Dwina across Siberia to the Pacific ; wintering 

 in India, the Burmese countries, and China. In winter it has 

 also occurred in most of the countries of Central Europe. 



Habits. — Mr. Seebohm met with this Bunting on the Pet- 



chora river and again on the Yenesei. He says that it was 



extremely tame, and he found several nests. It is a very late 



visitor too in the north, arriving only in the early part of June, 



1 F 



