REED AND BLACK-HEADED BUNTINGS 151 



describes this bird as the black-headed bunt- 

 ing. The latter is a full inch longer than the 

 reed bunting, and is an exceedingly rare bird, 

 only three occurrences having been noted, and 

 those, according to Colonel Irby, females and 

 young birds. These three specimens were ob- 

 served as follows viz. : Sussex, 1868 ; Notts, 

 1884 ; and Scotland, 1887. Colonel Irby thus 

 describes the plumage of the two birds : 



The black-headed ; head and ear-coverts black ; 

 back and rump chestnut ; chin and under parts 

 bright yellow. 



The reed bunting (male, in spring) : head and 

 throat black ; cheeks white ; eye-stripe white ; 

 white collar from bill round nape ; rump bluish- 

 gray ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut. In autumn 

 the black is hidden by rufous edgings, and the 

 white by sandy-brown edgings. 



The females of these birds vary consider- 

 ably from the males, the hens of both being 

 much alike. In both the black parts about 

 the head are replaced by brown striped with 

 black. In the female of the black-headed bunting, 

 the back and under parts are very similar to those 

 of the male. The breast and flanks of the female 

 reed bunting are white streaked with blackish 

 markings, and the outside web of the second tail- 

 feather is white. 



The reed bunting, or, as it is sometimes 

 termed, the reed sparrow, is a resident. The 

 black-headed bunting is migratory. Another 



