BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 7 



BUNTING, CIRL 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about six 

 inches. Bill short, conical, and bluish-grey. Irides 

 hazel. A streak of light yellow runs from the base 

 of the upper mandible, over the eye, behind the 

 ear-coverts, and thence forward under the black 

 on the throat ; and another from the gape under 

 the eye ; crown, behind the eye and under the 

 lower yellow streak, olive-brown streaked with black ; 

 the head, nape, and sides of the neck dark 

 olive ; back rich chestnut-brown, the margins of 

 the feathers being tinged with olive ; wings dusky 

 black edged with chestnut-brown and olive green ; 

 upper tail-coverts olive, tinged with yellow and 

 marked with dusky grey streaks ; tail-quills brown, 

 outside feathers edged with white ; chin and throat 

 black ; upper part of breast dull olive, crossed 

 below by a chestnut band ; belly and under tail- 

 coverts dusky yellow ; sides dull olive streaked with 

 dark brown. 



The female is slightly smaller; she lacks the 

 bright yellow stripes on the sides of the head and 

 throat; the black upon the chin is replaced by 

 yellowish brown ; crown dull olive streaked with 

 black ; back and upper parts reddish-brown streaked 

 with black ; under-parts dirty yellow, also streaked 

 with black. 



Situation and Locality. In brambles, furze 

 bushes, and sometimes quite on the ground, in 

 similar situations to the Yellow Bunting. On 

 commons and cultivated lands well studded with 

 trees and hedgerows in the South and West of 

 England. 



Materials. Dry grass, roots, moss, and leaves, 

 with generally an inner lining of hair. 



