S. G. CUMMINGS : GIRL BUNTING IN WALES. 277 



sheltered valleys fairly wooded, and j)asture lands inter- 

 sected by old hedg-erows, are its favourite haunts in 

 sunimer. It does not aifect high ground, j)robably seven 

 hundred feet above sea level is about the limit. 



In wet or windy weather the bird is rarely noticed, even 

 in jjlaces where it is known to occur. On hot sunny days 

 in July you may hear the song* to best advantage, when 

 other birds are mostly silent. The monotonous song has 

 been described by some writers as resembling that of the 

 Yellow Hammer, but to me it is much more like the loud 

 trilling of the Lesser Whitethroat, as stated by Montagu, 

 or even like that of the Greenfinch. It is, perhaps, most 

 frequently iterated from the upj)er branches of high trees, 

 but it will often sing on low walls, on hedges and bushes, 

 on buildings, and even on the ground. The usual call- 

 note, Seebohm affirms, is like that of the Yellow Hammer, 

 but the Robin's note of distress — only somewhat thinner 

 in tone — is, I think, much more nearly the sound. This 

 call-note of the Girl Bunting is as unmistakable as the 

 song when once learnt, and often betrays the j)resence of 

 the bird when it would otherwise be overlooked. When 

 singing the head is thrown well back, almost vertically, 

 and the mandibles widely extended ; the song is sometimes 

 varied in key by the same bird. 



Though in a sense a shy bird the Cirl Bunting does not 

 necessarily shun the habitations of man, if the locality be 

 suitable. The plumage, like that of the Yellow Hammer, 

 is subject to considerable variation, some males being more 

 brightly coloured than others, according to age ; this 

 obtains in the female also, but in a less degree. It is 

 often sociable in the breeding season, as well as at other 

 times, for it is not unusual to hear two or more birds 

 singing at once at no great distance from one another. 

 Its food probably does not differ much from that of most 

 Emherizidce ; it is fond of grass seeds ; I have watched one 

 busily picking off seeds from standing grass in summer. 

 On warm days the bird has a habit of keeping the 

 mandibles open when on the ground in search for food. 



