SNOW BUNTING. 431 



contiguous to the coast. A few reach the southern counties, 

 and liave been seen from Sussex to Devonshire. They are 

 considered rare in Cornwall, have been noticed in Worces- 

 tershire ; and Mr. Thompson writes me word they are winter 

 visitants to the mountainous parts of the North of Ireland. 



On the Continent they annually visit the north of Ger- 

 many, France, and Holland. In the latter country, M. 

 Temminck states them to be very abundant, particularly by 

 the sea-side, a partiality evinced by them in our own country. 

 In Austria, Pennant says, they are caught and fed with 

 millet, and like the Ortolan Bunting, grow excessively fat. 

 Two instances are recorded in which this bird was taken as 

 far south as Genoa. From all the southern districts, on the 

 approach of spring, they again return to the northern latitudes 

 from whence they came. 



An adult bird, on its arrival here towards winter, has the 

 beak yellow, the tip almost black ; irides hazel ; top of the 

 head and the ear-coverts reddish brown ; the feathers on the 

 back black at the base, with broad ends of pale reddish 

 brown ; wing-coverts and tertials white ; the spurious wing, 

 primaries, and secondaries black, with narrow white tips and 

 external edges ; upper tail coverts tawny and white ; three 

 outer tail-feathers on each side white, tipped with black ; the 

 others black, edged with white ; all the under surface of the 

 body dull white, tinged with reddish brown on the breast and 

 flanks ; legs, toes, and claws, black ; the hind claw elongated 

 and almost straight. In this state it has been called the 

 Tawny Bunting. In summer the brown tips of the feathers 

 on the back having fallen off, leave that part black ; the want 

 of the rusty brown on the head and breast leave those parts 

 white ; in this state it is called the Snow Bunting : when pre- 

 senting less white than the figure here given, it is a young 

 bird in the state called the Mountain Bunting. Of the 

 young of the year in autumn, apparently unable to perform 



