THE YELLOW-HAMMER 47 



sparrows, adults and young of the season, deserting the towns and 

 villages scanty fare, including the poultry and pig-trough supplies, 

 devastate wheat, barley and oat crops, commencing the onslaught 

 as soon as the grain is fairly swelled in the ear, so that in the vicinity 

 of towns the profitable cultivation of cereals becomes well-nigh 

 impossible. 



The TREE-SPARROW (Passer montanus) is a near relative of the 

 house-sparrow, being included in the same genus. This is distin- 

 guished by the bill being broad at its base, and slightly scooped at 

 its tip. The nostrils are partly concealed by the feathers, and the 

 wings have their second and third quills longest. The tail is of 

 moderate size. The tree-sparrow is known by its chestnut-coloured 

 head, by the cheeks possessing a black patch of triangular shape, 

 and by the belly being of a brownish-white colour. The neck may 

 be encircled with a white streak, and the lower wing coverts are 

 black. The average length is from 4J to 5j in. The nest is 

 generally built in trees, the eggs being of a dull white colour, spotted 

 with brown. The young appear to be chiefly fed with larvae of 

 insects, small caterpillars being most seen in the bills of the parents. 

 The tree-sparrow is much rarer and more locally distributed than 

 the house-sparrow, and not nearly so familiar. 



The BUNTING (Emberiza miliaris) is included in the sub-family 

 Emberizinae of the family Fringillidae or Finches, and its average 

 length is 6 or 7 in. It is coloured dark brown above, each 

 feather being darkest in the centre, the wing coverts being tinted 

 yellow. The chin, throat, breast, and abdomen are greyish-brown 

 mottled with darker brown. The nest is built of grasses, moss, and 

 hair, and is constructed on, or near, the ground, and contains five 

 eggs, greyish-white in colour, tinted with red or purple marks. 

 The common bunting is found in spring and summer in cornfields, 

 hence the name Corn Bunting sometimes given to this bird, that 

 of Lark Bunting being also given to it from its colouration resembling 

 that of the lark. Its focd consists chiefly of seeds, especially those 

 belonging to the various grasses ; but it inflicts some damage on 

 corn crops. Collecting in large flocks in autumn and winter, and 

 being then fat and in good condition, the common buntings are in 

 great request as delicacies for the table, and are caught in nets or 

 shot. 



The YELLOW-HAMMER (Emberiza citrinella) is distinguished, like 

 the common bunting, by the sharp conical bill, the edges of the 

 upper mandible being rounded and turned inwards and by having a 

 knob on the palate. Its average length is about 7 in. The 

 colour is yellow above, varied by dark-brown patches, the under- 

 parts being pure yellow, and the wing feathers dusky black, with 

 brown or yellow edges, the flanks being of a brownish hue. The 

 nest is usually made on a hedgebank or near the roots of bushes, 

 and is composed of grasses, moss, roots, etc., lined with hair. 



