7o Lloyd's natural history. 



Nest.— Generally placed on the ground, but occasionally in 

 a gorse bush. It is composed of dry grass and bents, with a 

 few twigs and rootlets and a little moss. It is lined with fine 

 roots. 



Eggs. — Four to six in number. From the curious "scrib- 

 bling" on the eggs the Yellow Bunting, or "Yellow Hammer,'' 

 as it is generally called,* is in many places known as the 

 " Writing Lark." By this name it was always familiar to 

 us in our school-days in Northamptonshire. Ground-colour 

 of eggs varying from stone-grey to reddish- or pinkish-grey, 

 or even white. The markings always irregular, no two 

 eggs being exactly alike, sometimes with greyish underlying 

 blotches, but generally very distinctly spotted and lined with 

 overlying marks of purplish-brown. Axis, o 75-o'97 ; diam., 

 0-6-075. 



VI. THE CIRL BUNTING. EMBERIZA CIRLUS. 



Emberiza cirlus, Linn., S. N., L, p. 311 (1766); Macg., Br. B., 



i., p. 450 (1837); Dresser, B. Eur., iv., p. 177, pi. 210 



(1871); Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 50 (1876); B. O. U. List 



Br. B., p. 60 (1883); Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 156(1884); 



Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xii., p. 525 (1888) ; Saunders, 



Man., p. 203 (1889); Wyatt, Br. B., pi. 17 (1894). 



Adult Male. — Somewhat resembles the Yellow Bunting, but is 



chestnut above, streaked with black. The breast is chestnut 



and the abdomen yellow, the flanks streaked with blackish ; 



bach and rump olive-greenish, streaked with dusky ; head 



and hind-neck olive-green, streaked with black ; eyebrow 



yellow j throat black, followed by a yellow patch. Total 



length, 5-5 inches; oilmen, 0-45; wing, 3-9; tail, 2-45; tarsus, 



0-65. 



The winter plumage is duller, the feathers being edged with 

 olive, and the summer plumage is attained by the gradual 

 wearing off of the dull edges. 



Adult Female. — Lacks the black and yellow markings on the 

 face ; the throat and breast striped ; lesser wing-coverts greenish- 

 grey, different from the back. This last feature will always 

 distinguish it from the female Yellow Bunting. 



* If the vernacular name is to be employed, it should properly he Yellow 

 Amt.ter, as it comes doubtless from the German word "Anuiier," a Bunting. 



