.. THE REED BUNTING £09 
so that little can be said of it which does not equally apply to its 
congener. It appears, however, to be much less patient of cold, 
and is consequently mostly confined to the southern counties of 
England, from Cornwall to Kent, and in the valley of the Thames. 
In the south of Europe, in the islands of the Mediterranean, and in 
Asia Minor, it is said to replace the Yellow Hammer, which is far less 
common. It is in the habit of perching higher than the Yellow 
Hammer, and is said to be partial to elm-trees. The present 
editor knows of its nesting recently in Hertfordshire. 
THE REED BUNTING 
EMBERIZA SCH@NICLUS 
Head, throat and gorget black (in winter speckled with light brown); nape, 
sides of the neck, and a line extending to the base of the beak on each 
side, white; upper parts variegated with reddish brown and dusky ; 
under parts white, streaked with dusky on the flanks. Female—head 
reddish brown, with dusky spots; the white on the neck less distinct ; 
under parts reddish white, with dusky spots. Length six inches, Eggs 
purplish grey, blotched and lined with dark purple brown. 
WHEREVER there is water, in the shape of a lake, canal, or river, 
lined by bushes and rushes, there the Blackheaded Bunting is pretty 
sure to be seen at most seasons of the year. The male is strongly 
marked by his black head and white collar; the head of the female 
is of the same colour as the body; but the white collar, of a less 
bright hue, she shares with her mate. ‘ Reed Bunting ’ and ‘ Reed 
Sparrow ’ are other names for the same bird. In summer it rarely 
quits the vicinity of water. At this season its food consists of 
various seeds and insects ; but on the approach of winter it either 
forms small parties, or joins itself on to flocks of Yellow Hammers, 
Sparrows, and Finches, and visits the stack-yards in search of grain. 
It builds its nest in low bushes, or among aquatic plants, very near 
the ground, employing bents, bits of straw, reeds, etc., and lining 
it with hair. The eggs are four or five in number, of a dull, livid 
purple colour, marked with irregular curves or blotches of darker 
purple, which remind one of the figure of the lines, so often seen on 
bramble leaves, made by leaf-eating grubs. Its note resembles that 
of the other Buntings, and is pleasant from its association with 
walks by the river’s side rather than for tone or melody. In Scot- 
land the Reed Bunting is migratory, repairing southwards in October 
and returning in March, 
