BUNTINGS. 



117 



many Continental dealers trading in Siberian and Rus- 

 sian birds. He gives a detailed account of a specimen 

 owned by Count von Tschusi, of Vienna, who states 

 that its song had nothing Bunting-like about it, but 

 much more nearly resembled that of a Goldfinch or 

 Robin ! As the songs of the two last-mentioned 'birds 

 are about as much alike as those of the Chaffinch and 

 Blackbird, I should prefer to credit the statements of 

 travellers who have met with the species in its wild 

 state. 



The species of Fringillaria may be treated in cap- 

 tivity in the same manner as the more typical Buntings 

 of the genus Emberiza. 



ROCK B TINTING (Fringillaria tahapisi). 



Above red-brown or cinnamon reddish, with black 

 centres to the feathers, more pronounced on mantle and 



with ashy-grey tips. Habitat, Cape Colony, north- 

 ward to Nyasaland and the Victoria Nyanza into Equa- 

 torial Africa, and on the West Coast to Benguela and 

 Gaboon. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater (" Birds of South Africa," 

 Vol. I., p. 190) record Mr. Stark's observations on the 

 habits as follows: "I have generally met with this 

 Bunting on broken hill-sides strewn with rooks and 

 partly overgrown with low bushes. Like F. capensis, 

 it is of tame and familiar habits, and is fond of utter- 

 ing its broken song from the summit of a stone or low 

 bush, while at intervals it opens and shuts its wings. 

 Its notes resemble those of the Cape Bunting to a cer- 

 tain degree, but are at the same time easily distin- 

 guished by the ear, ailthough the difference is not readily 

 pointed out in words. It feeds on small seeds and various 

 insects. "A nest taken in Upper Natal in November 

 was built a few inches off the ground, in a small bush 



ROCK BUXTING. 



back, where they have ashy-!brown edges ; middle and 

 greater coverts black, with reddish-buff edges ; flights 

 dull brown, with reddish edges ; tail blackish, the 

 feathers with buffish edges ; head all round black ; a 

 central white streak down the crown, an eyebrow stripe, 

 a stripe below the eye through the lower half of the 

 ear-coverts, and a broad increasing streak on each side 

 of the throat, white ; the head and throat are thus 

 adorned with alternate black and white stripes, the 

 black throat-patch being the most prominent ; remain- 

 der of under parts pale reddish-brown, deeper on axil- 

 laries and under wing-coverts ; flights below dusky, 

 with rufescent inner margins ; beak 'brown, lower man- 

 dible paler; feet and irides brown. Female with the 

 crown red-brown, like the back, the white stripes on 

 sides of face less distinct ; the feathers of the throat 



sheltered on one side by a rock. The three eggs re- 

 semble those of F. capensis in colour " (greenish white, 

 thickly spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and 

 yellow, frequently in a cap over the larger end) " but 

 are a trifle smaller than the average of the latter." 



Russ (who calls this Emberiza tahapisi) observes that 

 he need only have mentioned this species casually if an 

 example had not come into the possession of Mr. 

 Wiener, of London, and he observes that it has never 

 subsequently appeared in the market, and has reached 

 none of the Zoological Gardens. In 1907, however, Mr. 

 S. M. Townsend exhibited a specimen at the Crystal 

 Palace, and an illustration of which is published here- 

 with. It is probable that other examples have been 

 imported, since the species is 'by no means confined, as 

 Russ imagined, to the interior of Africa. 



