2o6 ORTOLAN. 



sown oatfield on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber. In Scotland 

 two examples were obtained in November 1S63, near Aberdeen. 

 Mr. A. G. More states that in the Museum of Science and Art, 

 Dublin, there is a specimen said to have been taken in co. Clare 

 previous to May 1852. 



The Ortolan is found in summer as far north as the Arctic 

 circle in Scandinavia ; but eastward, its northerly range gradually 

 recedes to about 57° N. lat. in Russia. South of the Baltic it is 

 irregularly distributed throughout Europe, and, although extremely 

 local, it is common at no greater distance from this country than 

 some districts in the north of France, Flanders, Dutch Brabant &c. 

 Even in the south of Europe, where it is rather partial to low 

 bushes on stony hill-sides, it is only a summer-visitor ; and in 

 Northern Africa, where it breeds in comparatively small numbers, it 

 does not remain for the winter, but migrates southwards as far as 

 Abyssinia. In Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, Turkestan, and Siberia 

 as far as the valley of the Irtish, it only passes the summer, visiting 

 North-western India during the cold season. I have known the 

 Ortolan arrive on the French side of the Pyrenees as early as 

 March 23rd ; the return migration begins in August. 



The nest, built in the latter half of May, of dry grass and roots 

 with a lining of fine bents and hair, is always on the ground, and 

 generally in open fields, though sometimes among coarse herbage 

 or under small bushes. The eggs, 4-6 in number, are pale purplish- 

 grey, distinctly spotted and very little scrolled with purple and 

 black : average measurements "8 by "62 in. The food consists of 

 beetles and other insects as much as of seeds, but in confinement 

 the bird feeds greedily upon oats and millet, until it attains the 

 fatness which is proverbial. The note, which is rather metallic, 

 may be syllabled as tsee-ah, isec-ah, tsee-a/i, tyi/r. 



Adult male : head and nape greenish-grey with faint yellow 

 streaks from the forehead to below the ear-coverts ; back, wing- 

 coverts and secondaries fulvous-brown, with dark stripes down the 

 centre of the feathers ; rump reddish-brown ; tail-feathers brown, 

 with oblong patches of white on the three outer pairs ; throat 

 sulphur-yellow ; pectoral band olive-grey ; lower breast, belly and 

 under tail-coverts pale chestnut ; bill reddish-brown ; legs brownish- 

 orange. Length 6 in. ; wing 3 '2 5 in. In less mature males the 

 rump is dull striated brown, there is no white on the third inner pair 

 of tail-feathers, and the under parts are paler. The female has the 

 head greener and more streaked; upper parts duller; gorget yel- 

 lowish-buff streaked with brown ; under parts yellowish-buff. 



