THE FINCHES-FAMILY FRINGILLID^ 



409 



somewhat from the male in her colours being 

 less brilliant, and the crown a brownish tint 

 heavily striped, with just a faint tint ot yellow 

 appearing between the stripes. 



The Yellow Bunting frequents small lliickels 

 and hedgerows, generally building its nest 

 under shelter of some small bush in a hedge- 

 bottom or amongst the grass of a ditch. It 

 feeds principally mion seeds, small grains, and 

 insects, and in the summer-time is one of the 

 most attractive of British birds, flitting from 

 bush to hush, and displaying to marked advan- 

 tage the bright yellow on its breast and head. 

 It is a good exhibition bird, and a desirable 

 addition to an aviary, and will lireed therein. 

 It does well on the diet recommended for the 

 preceding species, and is equally fond of the 

 bath. It should be kept and exhibited in the 

 cages recommended for the Goldlinch, with 

 the inside of the show cage dark blue and the 

 outside Ijlack. The essential points of an 

 exhibition specimen are good colour and mark- 

 ing, the crown of the head as clear as possible 

 except for the V mark, which, with the ear- 

 coverts, should l)e of a good dark, dense shade ; 

 good size and shape ; plumage jierfect, with a 

 satin-like gloss over the surface, and jjerfcct 

 steadiness. 



The Girl Buuling, Kmbcriza ciiius {Linn.), is 

 a resident and migrant, very local and rather 

 scarce in our islands. In P^ng- 



The Cirl 

 Bunting. 



land, excejit to ornithologists, it 

 is little known, for when wild it 

 closely resembles the Yellow Bunting. Its 

 chief distinctions from the latter are its black 

 throat ; the head and hind part ot the neck are 

 olive-green streaked with black, shaded with 

 bluish-grey, and tlie lower part ot the back ana 

 upjier tail-coverts are olive-green. The female 

 differs from the male in not having the black 

 throat, owing to which it has often been mis- 

 taken for the Yellow Bunting, but the latter 

 has a cheslnul-brown rump, whilst the hen 

 of the Cirl Bunting has olive-green, and the 

 lesser wing-coverts arc greenish-grey. These 

 features always serve to distinguish them. IL 

 breeds in most of the Southern counties. Outside 

 these islands its habitation is chiefly the western 

 portion of the Continent. As with the Yellow 

 Bimting, its song is not very elaborate, con- 

 sisting also of one note rather more rapidly 

 delivered and without the prolonged finishing 

 note. The Girl Bunting is somewhat shy, being 

 rather a woodland species, although it often 

 approaclies habitations to Imild its nest. It is 

 kept chiefly for exhibition jiurposes, or to add 

 variety to an aviary of mixed birds. Diet as 

 for the Yellow Bunting, with a more liberal 

 supply of fresh, succulent grass seed during 

 the spring and summer as long as procurable. 



52 



The Reed 

 Bunting. 



Free use of the bath should also be allowed, 

 and similar cages to those for the preceding 

 bird. The essential itoints of an exhibition 

 specimen are good size, rich colour, markings 

 well defmed ; steadiness and perfection of 

 plumage. 



The Beed Bunting, Eniberi:a schspnictus 

 (Linn.), is another resident and migrant found 

 everywhere in marshy situations 

 throughout Britain, except the 

 Shet lands, where it is only an 

 occasional visitor. It is generally distributed 

 over Euiope. This species fliffers considerably 

 in its habils from those already mentioned, 

 breeding near its marshy haunts, and feeding 

 largely on the insects with which those places 

 abound in the summer. In winter it feeds on 

 the seeds of reeds, aquatic plants and other 

 weeds, only approaching houses when driven 

 by the severity of the weather for grains and 

 other food. It is rather a handsome bird, 

 having in the summer-time a jet-black head 

 and throat, with a band or collar of white 

 running round the neck and down to the breast. 

 The general colour above is brownish-black, 

 the centres of the feathers being black with 

 a Itroad fringe of chestnut ; on the lower part 

 of the back and rump the centres of the feathers 

 are of the same dark tint edged with grey ; 

 the wings are brownish-black with a narrow 

 edge to the outer webs of the primaries of pale 

 reddish-luown ; the secondaries and coverts are 

 of a darker tint, broadly fringed with chestnut ; 

 the centre tail feathers are greyish-brown, paler 

 at the edges, others are black ; the two exterior 

 feathers have while running diagonally from 

 the base to the tip of the inner web ; the sides 

 of the breast and flanks are streaked with 

 blackish-brown ; the abdomen, vent, and untler 

 tail-coverts are white. In winter the plumage 

 is less brilliant, and the hen has not the striking 

 characteristics of the black head and throat ; 

 shades of brown and chestnut predominate 

 over the black. The Reed Bunting is a very 

 attractive addition to an aviary, where it 

 should be given plenty of water, for it is remark- 

 ably fond of bathing. It is also an attractive 

 cage-bird, and is frequently seen at exhibitions. 

 It should be fed as the preceding bird, and 

 similar cages used. Its essential exhibition 

 points are a well matured body, colour rich 

 and lustrous, markings well defined, steadiness 

 and perfect plumage. 



The Snow Bunting, Pkclrophenax nivalis 

 (Sliurpe), is a regular winter visitor, sometimes 



arriving in large flocks on the 

 The Snow- 



Bunting. 



eastern coast. They appear in 



the south of Scotland towards 

 the end of October or early in November, 

 visiting the sub-alpine districts and descending 



