BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. 441 



spot, where the junction of two hedge-rows formed a corner ; 

 and we therefore concluded, naturally enough, that in that 

 spot all their hopes were centered. But a close and minute 

 investigation of the whole corner, during which time we laid 

 the ground completely bare, revealed nothing to us. At 

 length, a full hour after the commencement of our labours, I 

 hit upon the nest by mere chance, at exactly the opposite 

 end to that at which the Reed Buntings had been, and still 

 were, prosecuting their whinings and manoeuvres, which now 

 proved beyond a doubt, what I had never before suspected, 

 that the birds had been all the time endeavouring to attract 

 our attention towards them, instead of towards their nest." 



The eggs of this bird are four or five in number, of a 

 ])ale purple brown colour, streaked with darker purple brown; 

 the length nine lines and a half, and seven lines in breadth. 

 Incubation commencing, Mr. Jenyns says, about the first 

 week in May, and occasionally a second brood is produced 

 in July. The food of the Black-headed Bunting is grain, 

 seeds, insects, and their larvae ; the young are probably fed 

 for a time on the latter. In Avinter these birds associate with 

 others, forming flocks, and visiting gardens, barn doors, and 

 stack-yards in search of seeds, or grain of any kind. 



The Black-headed Bunting occurs in the localities suited 

 to its habits in all the southern counties of England ; it is 

 common in Wales ; and Mr, Thompson includes it as com- 

 mon and indigenous to Ireland. North of London it is also 

 found in most, if not all, the counties as far as the Tweed. 

 In Scotland it is common in the usual localities ; has been 

 observed in the Hebrides, and was seen by Mr. Selby upon 

 the margins of all the lochs, and in the swampy districts of 

 Sutherlandshire ; but according to Dr. Fleming this bird 

 does not visit Orkney or Shetland. It is only a summer 

 visiter to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, appearing in 

 April and retiring in September ; it is found also from Russia 



