ments. 



100 



colour. Occasionally the ground colour has a decided rufous tint, and some 

 eggs are a warm brownish red, with a few blackish hair lines. 

 Breeding As three broods are frequently reared, the breeding season is of long 



Season, (jm-^j^ioji^ In England the first eggs are laid late in April, but in the hills 

 and the north the more usual time is in May, sometimes not till the second 

 or third week. From this time onward eggs may be found till August 

 and even September. In Ireland most eggs are laid in May and June, but 

 late clutches are occasionally found. In Germany Rey has taken eggs from 

 April 25 to July 31. In the northern part of its range only one brood 

 is reared and the eggs are laid in June. Incubation lasts 14 days, and 

 the hen is a close sitter, while the cock reiterates his simple song from 

 a hedge or tree close at hand. 

 Measure- Extraordinary variations in shape and size are occasionally met with. 



Rey gives the average size of 100 eggs as 21.2x15.9 mm., Max. 24.2x17.1 

 and 23.5 X 17.7 mm., Min. 18.5X14.3 mm. Abnormally elongated eggs 

 measure 30.2 X 15 mm. (R. Smith), 28.3 X 14.3 mm. (E. W. H. Blagg) and 

 28 X 10.4 mm. (E. Rey). Some eggs are jjyriform in shape, while others 

 are almost spherical, measuring 18.3X17, 18X16.8 mm., etc. (C. A. Wester- 

 lund), and 3 dwarf eggs measure 14.3 X 10.5, 14.2 X 12 and 13.3 X U mm. 

 (R. H. Read). Average weight of normal eggs 160 mg. (Rey), 178 mg. 

 (Bau); 15 full eggs average 2.702 mg. (Foster). 



Geographical Races. 



a. Common Yellow Bunting', E. citrinella citrinella L. and 

 b. Eastern Yellow Bunting', E. citrinella erythrogenys Brelim. See above. 



46. Pine Bunting, Emberiza leucocepliala S. €r. Grmel. 



Plate 14, fig. 1 (Amur, 5. V.). 



Foreign Names: Bohemia: Skrivan sibirsky. France: Bruant a 

 coiironne ladee. Germany: FicJdenammer. Italy: Zigolo gola rossa. Poland: 

 Posivierka hialolbista. Ruseia: Strenatka-heloshapotchnaya. 



Mnheriza leucocepliala Gmel. Dresser, Birds of Europe, IV, p. 217; 

 id. Man. Pal. Birds, p. 359. E. leucocephalos S. G. Gmel. Hartert, Vog. 

 Pal. Fauna, p. 169. 



Breeding Range: Siberia, from the Urals to the mouth of the Amur. 

 Has occurred on Helgoland and in Austria, Dalmatia, Italy, etc. 



According to Dybowski {Journ. f. Ornitli. 1873, p. 86) the nest is 

 always in the open, on the edge of the forest or thickets, and is placed 

 on the ground in a slight depression at the foot of a tree, bush, or fallen 

 bough. It is built of grass stalks and bents, smoothly lined with finer 

 grasses and horsehair. External diameter about 5 J- in., depth 2 in., dia- 



