The Oologists' Record, June i, 1922. 29 



time on the ground, where I at first sought dihgently for its nest. 

 This bird, though larger, has a strong general likeness to the Golden- 

 breasted Bunting, and one must be close at hand to distinguish the 

 single white superciliary stripe of the Greater Bunting from the double 

 streaks of the smaller bird. The call, I find I have recorded as 

 a " pleasant low trill ending on a rather, higher note." My first 

 nest was on the side of Zomba Moun,tain, on November 14th, 1920. 

 I blundered accidentally on the nest, on which the ? was sitting. 

 It was in a small stunted tree about 8 feet high, with a few leaves 

 about the bottom and top in tufts, one of a belt of similar dwarf 

 trees and scrub, interspersed with rocks, sloping to the south : 

 and the nest-tree was 30 yards from the high bank of a stream. 

 Exteriorly it measured 3I inches across, and was in form a deep 

 cup (nearly 2 inches). It was built outwardly of dead grasses (the 

 outermost ones being whole lengths) and strips of grass sheathing : 

 there was a distinct inner lining of a much finer, yellower grass 

 (the outer being grey). The nest was at 5^ feet from the ground 

 and looked very like a large rough nest of Serinus icterus. The 

 three eggs (a selected one measures 20 1 mm. x 15 mm.) are 

 t3^ical and very beautiful examples of those of the genus Emberiza. 

 They are of a light-green ground colour, with a ring of greyish-lilac 

 subsurface markings on which are superimposed scrawls of umber 

 and blackish -brown. The cap is free from markings, but there are 

 isolated marks towards the smaller end away from the zone. 

 Subsequent experience proved that in all respects this nest and 

 eggs were normal, though I never afterwards took quite such a 

 beautiful clutch. The next season (1921) I took, at Blantyre, where 

 the birds were more numerous, six sets, three of three and three of 

 two. Two of these sets were of a totally different type of marking, 

 and had I not seen the bird building the nest from which I took 

 one of them, I should never have believed them to be Buntings" 

 eggs. One of these abnormal sets (of two) is clouded equally all 

 over with a very light brownish-grey mottling, without scrawls or 

 other marks; these are small eggs, measuring 20 mm. x. 14^ mm. 

 (I had taken previously a similar set of three, too hard-set to blow.) 

 The other set (of three), while exhibiting the same cloudy ground, 

 shows some superimposed darker spots but no scrawls. The eggs 

 of this set are large, measuring 22 mm. X i6| mm. Almost all 

 nests were within reach, the highest being at about 11 feet. Dates 

 of the sets now in my collection are 6th, 14th, and 28th November, 



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