128 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Field-characters. — ^Large chestnut patch, on ear-coverts showing 

 up clearly against grey of head distinguishes it from E. cia. A 

 more bush- and lowland-loving bird ; Meadow-Bunting is as appro- 

 priate a name for this species as " Rock-Bunting " would be for 

 E. cia (H. Lynes). 



Breeding-habits. — ^Nests under tussock by bush or small rock, 

 sometimes in sapling pines, neat ground. Nest. — Of twigs, leaves, 

 grasses and fern, lined fine grass and hair. Eggs. — 3-6, usually 

 4-5 ; ground-colour creamy to pale pm-plish-grey, with wreath 

 of browTi hair-lines in zone and generally some dark streaks and 

 spots and bluish shell-marks. Average of 16 eggs 20.61 x 15.78 mm. 

 Breeding-season. — From mid-May to June and probably July. 

 Incubation. — Period and share of sexes not known. Probably 

 two broods. 



Food. — Seeds and probably insects. 



Distribution. — England. — One caught alive Flamborough Chffs 

 (Yorks.) Nov., 1886 (c/. lUs, 1889, pp. 293-294 and 296). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — East Siberia, Manchuria, and Corea, 

 wintering in China. Casual in Italy. Replaced by E. c. cioides 

 in west Siberia, and by E. c. ciopsis in Japan. 



EMBERIZA RUSTICA 



51. Emberiza rustica Pall.— THE RUSTIC-BUNTING. 



Emberiza bustica Pallas, Reise d. versch. Prov. d. Rilss. Reichs, rii, 



p. 698 (1776— Transbaikalia). 



Emberiza rustica Pallas, Yarrell, ir, p. 29 ; Saunders, p. 217. 



Description (Plate 5). — Adult male. Winter. — Fore-head and 

 crown brown-black, much obscured by broad fringes and tips of 

 rufous-brown and buff ; spot in centre of nape white, tinged buff ; 

 back of neck, rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut, tipped buff 

 (longest upper tail-coverts browner) ; mantle chestnut, broadly 

 fringed buff and mesially streaked black ; scapulars same but 

 usually with narrower black streaks ; lores brownish-buff ; stripe 

 over and behind eye buffish-white ; under eye and ear-coverts 

 brown, buff and black ; throat extending to sides of neck behind 

 ear-coverts buffish-white with broken dusky-black malar stripes, 

 and generally a few brown flecks on throat ; breast-band and 

 flanks chestnut, fringed buff or buffish-white and upper feathers 

 of breast-band more or less marked black (sometimes black is 

 quite absent) ; rest of breast, belly, under tail-coverts, and 

 axillaries white tinged buff ; tail : central pair brown narrowly 

 fringed buff and with black shaft streaks, outermost pair with 

 large wedge of white occupying most of feather and extending 

 to base, penultimate pair with similar but narrower wedge on inner 

 web, rest brown-black with outer webs fringed buff ; primaries 



