The Yellow Buxting 113 



The male Yellow Buntiug in breeding plumage appears to vary consideiably 

 iu beauty of plumage, the birds of Mid- Kent appearing almost like a distinct 

 species from those of North-west Kent, owing to the much greater development 

 of yellow on the head. The crown and nape bright Canary-yellow, with an olive- 

 brown streak across the forehead and bounding the sides of the crown ; * or lemon- 

 yellow much more streaked with olive-brown ; remainder of upper parts chestnut, 

 the feathers of the mantle and back with strongly marked black longitudinal 

 streaks ; wing-coverts and inner secondaries dark smoky-brown, bordered with 

 chestnut ; remaining secondaries and primaries sooty-blackish, with more or less 

 yellow margins to the outer webs and slightly ashy tips : two central tail feathers 

 dark smoky-brown, with pale cinnamon-brownish borders ; remaining feathers sooty- 

 blackish, \\-ith very narrow yellowish edging to the outer web ; the two outer 

 feathers with large snow-white wedge-shaped patches on the inner web ; under 

 parts lemon-yellow, an olive-brown streak partly bounding the ear-coverts ; breast 

 and flanks slightly washed with olive and streaked with olive-brown ; beak dark 

 horn-brown on the culmen, becoming more leaden at the sides, lower mandible 

 much paler, especially along the edge and just in front of the chin; feet pale 

 flesh-brown ; iris hazel. The female is much less yellow than the male (excepting 

 in pairs netted in West Kent which, even in breeding plumage, differ compara- 

 tively little) the yellow on the crown represented by irregular mottling ; the 

 chestnut of the upper jarts much less pronounced, excepting on the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts ; whilst the olive-brown streaking of the under parts is more 

 defined. After the autumn moult the feathers of the head have dark tips and the 

 other feathers of the upper parts somewhat ashy margins ; all of which are said 

 to be shed in the spring. The 3'oung nearly resemble females in winter plumage. 



I have repeatedly tried to get hold of Yellow Hammers in brilliant plumage ; 

 but, living on the borders of North-west Kent, I find that the catchers invariably 

 bring me dull-plumaged birds ; the more intelligent of them have assured me that 

 they have never seen a brightly-coloured male Yellow Hammer in the neighbour- 

 hood, which exactly agrees with my own experience. In the males of North Kent, 

 on the other hand, all the males are especially fine in colouring, the dark markings 

 on their heads being so much reduced as to be indiscernible at a short distance. 



The Yellow Hammer is abundant in all open country, but more especially iu 

 the better cultivated districts where one sees the males dotted here and there like 

 sentinels on the topmost sprays of the hedges, or sailing with rapid undulating 

 flight down the lanes and country roads ; in wild moorland and commons this bird 



* Mr. Froliawk has shown me a wonderful .specimen iu which there are uo streaks on head or neck, and 

 the wings are varied with white. — A.G.B. 



Vol. II. G2 



