THE REED-BUNTING. 133 



1911. Isle of May, one Sept. 25, and one Sept. 26, 1909, two or 

 three Sept. 28, 1912, one Oct. 8, 1913. Ireland .^One Rockabill Lt. 

 (Dublin), Oct. 2, 1908 (cp. c, ii, p. 238). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — ^North Russia and Siberia to Turkestan. 

 In winter further south in Asia, and not rarely in Europe : east 

 Germany, south Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Heligoland, Austria, 

 Italy, south France, Malta, and Algeria. 



EMBERIZA SCHCENICLUS 



53. Emberiza schoeniclus schoeniclus (L). — THE REED- 

 BUNTING. 



Feingilla Schceniclus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 182 (1758 — 



Europe. Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Emberiza schoenichis Linnseus, Yarrell, 11, p. 23 ; Saunders, p. 221. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — ^Fore-head and crown black, 

 mostly obscured by long buffish- or rufous-brown tips to the 

 feathers ; back of neck white, mostly obscured by brown tips ; 

 mantle and scapulars boldly streaked black, margined rufous-bro^vn 

 and frmged buff ; rump ashy-grey, feathers with blackish shaft- 

 streaks and long rufous-brown tips ; upper tail-coverts same but 

 rather browner ; lores buff ; ear-coverts as crown ; chin and 

 throat extending on to centre of upper-breast same but tips smaller 

 and usually paler buff ; malar stripes and sides of neck white, 

 tinged buff ; sides of breast and flanks same but with narrow black 

 and reddish-brown streaks ; centre of breast, belly, under tail- 

 coverts and axillaries white ; tail : central pair mostly brown with 

 mesial black line and outer webs chestnut-browTi, rest black 

 narrowly edged brown, outermost pair with large wedge of white 

 occupying most of feather, penultimate pair with smaller wedge 

 on distal half of inner web ; primaries and secondaries brown-black, 

 inner webs fringed white and outer webs bright bay ; inner 

 secondaries and greater coverts broadly margined and tipped same 

 with outer fringe of buff ; median coverts tipped bright bay ; 

 lesser coverts bright bay. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult from Aug. to Nov. Summer.— A moult confined to chin, 

 upper throat, lores, ear-coverts, and usually fore-head, takes 

 place from March to May. Before this moult crown, throat and 

 ear-coverts have become much blacker by abrasion of tips of 

 feathers but lores never become black before moult. New 

 feathers are entirely black except those of malar stripes which 

 are white, but generally some old feathers remain so that throat 

 and ear-coverts do not become uniform black until tips are entirely 

 worn off old winter feathers. Abrasion of tips gradually makes 

 crown uniform black, back of neck white forming a collar, mantle 

 much blacker, rump greyer, sides of neck and breast and belly 

 whiter without tinge of buff. 



