106 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



even as far west as St. Kilda, very rarely in Shetlands, in Fair Isle, 

 but apparently not in Orkneys. Ireland. — Local resident, co. 

 Dublin since 1852, and recently on coasts of Londonderry, Mayo, 

 Antrim and Donegal, and on Inishtrahull Is. (Donegal). Once seen 

 in Sligo and once in Kildare. Once occurred off Wexford. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Immigration and passage-movements 

 east coast England, beginning Oct. to first week Nov., extremes 

 Sept. 17 to Nov. 29, and return March 18 to April 20 (extremes). 

 Some evidence of immigration south-east coast end of March. No 

 evidence of migration to Ireland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe generally and Siberia. Replaced 

 by closely-allied forms in east Siberia, Japan, Turkestan, and 

 Persia, India and China, Greater Sunda Islands, Hainan and 

 Formosa. 



Genus EMBERIZA L. 



Emberiza Linnaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 176 (1758 — ^Type E. calandra — 

 by subsequent designation : Jenyns 1833 sajrs, " Our common Bunting 

 is the type." This is preferable to Gray's later designation of E. citrinella 

 as type, because E. calandra is the most typical species of the genus). 



This genus has been split into three to ten genera and sub- 

 genera, but it is desirable to keep the natural assemblage, as here 

 adopted, together imder one name, as nearly all differences on 

 which genera have been based — if stated at all — are bridged over. 



Typical Buntings have somewhat short, conical, hard, sharp- 

 pointed beak, with cutting-edges more or less incurved ; upper 

 mandible, and follo^^'ing it lower, forms sharp mandibular angle. 

 In roof of mouth a more or less developed hump, absent in 

 some species, seldom so well developed as in £'. calandra ; all 

 intergradations between that of latter and total absence ; also 

 between liighly -arched bill of E. pyrrhnloides and thin one of 

 E. schcenidus wonderful intergradations in various forms of 

 E. palustris. Claws strongly curved, hind cla^^• shorter than hind 

 toe. Wings well developed, first primary rudimentary, not visible ; 

 2nd to 5th primaries generally nearly equal and longest, but 

 sometimes {cf. E. cia) 0th almost as long "as 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 

 and 2nd distinctly shorter ; in other cases {cf. E. hortulana) 

 5th distinctly shorter than 2nd to 4th. Tail long, emarginate. 

 Nostrils more or less covered by frontal plumes. Palsearctic, 

 African, and Indian regions, absent from Australian region, and 

 represented by closely allied genera in America : 31 Palsearctic 

 species with many subspecies. 



