PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 159 



YELLOW-BUNTING or YELLOW-HAMMER [Emberiza 

 citrinella, Linnaeus. Yellow-yeorling, scribbling-lark, goldfinch, yite. French, 

 bruant jaune ; German, Goldammer ; Italian, zigolo gidtto]. 



1. Description. Distinguished by the lemon-yellow head, neck, and under 

 parts and by the reddish rump. (PL 21.) The yellow on the neck and 

 head is relieved by a band of dark greenish yellow which extends up the 

 side of the neck, and at the level of the auriculars divides into a horse- 

 shoe band below the eye, and a band running above the eye to the base 

 of the beak. The fore-breast (prepectus) is marked by a greenish yellow band 

 and this is succeeded by a band of mahogany-red, which is continued back- 

 wards along the flanks. A spot of pale mahogany-red commonly occurs in the 

 lower malar region ; and a patch of darker red covers the rump and tail-coverts. 

 Abdomen and under tail-coverts lemon-yellow, the latter region blotched with 

 red. Scapulars and interscapulars dull red, with broad black shaft-stripes. Wing- 

 coverts dull red, the median with a dull black blotch on the inner web. Major 

 coverts and inner secondaries black, with narrow yellowish red margins fading 

 into dull white. The outer pair of tail feathers are marked by a blaze of white 

 along the inner vane. The new feathers, after the autumn moult, have olive- 

 green, and broad fulvous brown margins concealing the yellow colour so conspicu- 

 ous in the breeding season. This " summer " dress is obtained by the abrasion 

 of the autumn feathers. The brilliancy of males in the breeding season varies 

 very considerably, and in accordance with the amount of abrasion that has taken 

 place. Length 6^ in. [165 mm.]. The female, in breeding dress, is far less 

 brilliant. The crown feathers are of a dull olive-brown, streaked with black, but 

 having yellow bases, which show when the feathers are disturbed. Ear-coverts 

 uniformly dusky : cheeks, throat, and under parts pale yellowish, relieved in the 

 throat and flanks with dusky longitudinal stripes. Young in autumn resemble 

 adult female, but are yellower below, and more distinctly streaked, especially on 

 the throat and flanks. The juvenile plumage resembles that of the female, but 

 is at once distinguished by having regular striations on the fore-neck, prepectus, 

 and flanks, on a ground of dull yellow, which fades before the autumn moult 

 to dirty white. The crown further differs in being heavily striated with dun 

 brownish black, almost obliterating the dun yellow ground colour. The mahogany- 

 red of the rump is much smaller in area and paler in colour, [w. p. p.] 



2. Distribution. Found throughout the British Isles and the greater part 



