THE YELLOW-BREASTED BUIS'TJLKG, 119 



wing-coverts mucli as in female. The juvenile body-plumage and 

 \ving-coverts, and apparently innermost secondaries, are moulted 

 in autumn but not rest of wings and tail. Summer. — Moult as in 

 adult but fore-23art of crown, ear-coverts, and throat never become 

 so black ; back of crown and rump not so uniform chestnut ; mantle 

 streaked bro\\'n and black, like female ; under-parts paler yellow 

 than adult, and breast-band narrower. 



Fust vnnter and summer. Female. — Paler and less yellow on 

 under-parts than adult female, and breast finely streaked as in 

 juvenile. 



Measurements and structure. — ,^ wing 75-80 mm., tail 57-61, 

 tarsus 18-22, bill from skull 11-12 (12 measured). $ wmg 71-75. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 2nd to 4th usually equal and 

 longest, 5th 2-3 mm. shorter, 6th 6-10 shorter ; 3rd to 5th emargi- 

 nated outer webs. Other structure as E. citrinella. 



Soft parts. — Bill : upper mandible dark bro\\Ti, lower pale 

 bro\\-n ; legs and feet pale brown ; iris dark brown. 



C*HARACTEES AND ALLIED SPECIES. ^ — No subspecies recognized. Male 

 distinguished from all other British Buntings with yellow under- 

 parts by chestnut croun and breast-band and in summer black 

 chin. Juv^enile distinguished from E. citrinella by buffish-brown 

 rump, and from E. cirlus by white under wing-coverts and buffer, 

 not so yellow, and less streaked under tail-coverts. Female not 

 so streaked on breast as E. cirlus and E. citrinella, under wing- 

 coverts white and under tail-coverts buffer, not so yellow. Also 

 sixth primary not emarginated on outer web. 



Field -CHARACTERS. — Compared with Yellow Bunting, darker crown, 

 white wing-bar in flight, plain yeUow luiderneath (not streaked) 

 are distinctions in female. Males are very distinct by reason of 

 dark chestnut upper-parts and very conspicuous white wing-bar 

 in flight, apart from other characteristics (H. Lynes). 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in low bushes, on stumps, or sheltered 

 by coarse vegetation ; usually 2 or 3 ft. from ground. Nest. — 

 Dead grasses, lined finer grass and few horsehairs. Eggs. — 4-5, 

 rarely 6 ; ground-colour generally green, occasionally stone-colour 

 or olive, blotched and streaked with dark bro\\'n and ashy-grey 

 blotches as shell-marks. Average of 52 eggs, 20.53 X 15.05 mm. 

 Breeding-season. — From beginning Jime to early July. Incubation. — 

 Period not known. Both sexes incubate. One brood. 



Food. — Small coleoptera, insect larvae ; also seeds, rice, vegetable 

 matter. 



Distribution. — England. — Three. Female, Cley (Norfolk) Sept. 

 21, 1905 (Saunders, Bull. B.O.C., xvi, pp. 10-11). Female near 

 Wells (Norfolk) Sept. 5, 1907 (F. G. Penrose, Brit. B., i, p. 263). 

 Cley, Sept. 4, 1913 (E. C. Arnold, op. c, vii, p. 170). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — North Russia and Siberia ; on migration 



