198 BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. 



visits Austria. It lias also occurred near Marseilles, and along the 

 Riviera to Liguria ; while in Verona and along the east side of Italy 

 it is, naturally, not uncommon, inasmuch as it breeds abundantly in 

 Dalmatia, on the further side of the Adriatic. To Sicily and Malta 

 it is only a rare visitor, nor does it cross the Mediterranean to Africa. 

 In Greece, Turkey, the Danubian Provinces, Southern Russia, Asia 

 Minor, Palestine, and Northern Persia, it is common from the 

 end of April to autumn, after which it leaves for its winter-quarters 

 ia Xorth-western and Central India, where immense flocks are 

 found during the cold season. 



The Black-headed Bunting seldom ascends the mountains to any 

 great elevation, preferring the flat ground planted with vines, olive- 

 trees, pomegranates &c., near the sea-shore. The nest is generally 

 in climbing plants, rose-bushes or brambles, and, in Turkey, often 

 among peas, which are allowed by the gardeners to stand until 

 the young are fledged. It is rather loosely constructed of the 

 stalks of small flowering plants, with a lining of dry grass, roots and 

 hair. The eggs — different in appearance to those of any other 

 European Bunting — are pale greenish-blue, speckled with ash-brown, 

 and are 4-6 in number : average measurements '85 by 7 in. In 

 summer both young and old feed on grasshoppers and other insects, 

 and on fruit ; but in India, during autumn and winter, considerable 

 havoc is made in fields of grain. Canon Tristram says that this 

 bird has nothing of the Bunting in its habits or character, whereas 

 Mr. Seebohm asserts that in its habits and song it is a typical 

 Bunting ! The call-note of tiie male is a vibrating monotonous 

 chiririri. 



The adult male has the head and ear-coverts black ; back and 

 rump orange-brown : wings hair-brown, with dull whitish margins to 

 the coverts and secondaries : tail hair-brown, with a narrow white 

 streak to the inner web of the outer pair of feathers; under parts 

 and sides of the neck bright gamboge-yellow ; bill greyish horn- 

 colour ; legs and feet pale brown. Length 675; wing 37 in. 

 After the autumn moult the bright tints, although perceptible at the 

 bases of the feathers, are obscured by the new dull brown edges. 

 The female is sandy-brown on the upper parts, w'ith darker stria- 

 tions on the head and back, and buftish-white margins to the wing- 

 coverts and quills ; rump slightly tinged with yellow ; tail-feathers 

 hair-brown with paler margins ; throat and belly dull white ; breast 

 and flanks sandy-buff with narrow brown streaks : under tail-coverts 

 pale yellow. The young resemble the female. 



