CTRL BUNTING AND YELLOW-HAMMER 149 



are black ; whereas in the case of the yellow- 

 hammer the entire head is of a lemon-yellow 

 colour. There are various other differences in 

 the plumage, but this one peculiarity is quite 

 sufficient to distinguish them. The yellow- 

 hammer may be met with in all parts of the 

 country ; the cirl bunting, preferring warmth to 

 cold, confines itself to the southern counties. 

 The yellow-hammer is also more fearless than 

 the cirl bunting, which is an excessively shy 

 bird, and prefers to frequent the tops of trees ; 

 whereas the yellow-hammer is most generally to 

 be observed amongst the hedgerows and such-like 

 places. The latter generally builds its nest on 

 the ground ; the cirl bunting very rarely does so. 

 Dixon, referring to the song of the cirl bunting, 

 says : ' It is, however, a most industrious musician, 

 and its song proclaims its presence to him who is 

 conversant with the notes of birds. This re- 

 sembles very closely the yellow-hammer's love- 

 song, but wants the long-drawn note which usually 

 terminates that bird's refrain.'^ 



The common or corn bunting is about the size 

 of the yellow-hammer viz., seven inches in 

 length. Its general colour is a grayish-brown, 

 with dark-brown streaks. The tail, which is 

 brown, is edged and tipped with yellowish-white. 

 All the buntings present a somewhat rough and 

 untidy appearance, as if their feathers had been 



* The Rev. C. A. Johns states that the name yellow-hammer 

 is derived from the German word Ammer = ^ bunting. 



