THE BUNTINGS 193 



birds are described by Bailly as sweeping through the country in 

 bataillons epais, and descending upon the wide fields of wheat, barley, 

 oats, flax, and millet, as well as the vineyards, which clothe the vales 

 and lower mountain-sides of that richly cultivated land. Here, he 

 tells us, they gorge themselves, paying now little attention to insects, 

 and retiring, during the heat of the day, beneath the shade of 

 thick undergrowth, where, reaching from the ground, they quench 

 their thirst with the dew or moisture still to be found within the fold- 

 like hollow, at the base of each leaf-stalk, at its junction with the 

 stem. Some two hours before sunset they return to their pastures, 

 where they continue feeding till almost dusk, when they fly, en masse, 

 to the nearest trees or reed-beds, crowded amongst which they pass 

 the night. Next morning the rising sun sees them, once more, 

 industriously occupied in procuring a well-earned breakfast from the 

 same ample stores. These great gatherings are at their height in 

 August and September, and towards the middle of the latter month 

 the migratory movement sets in. The battalions are then more 

 broken up, the birds flying in troops or batches, at early dawn, and, 

 again, from an hour before sunset, the ordinary hours of daylight 

 being occupied, as before, in the important business of procuring 

 food. The birds fly, now, somewhat high, and, as they go, utter a 

 short, sharp note, several times repeated, which somewhat resembles 

 a snapping of the bill. 1 According to Bailly, this note is never 

 uttered by the corn-bunting, except during flight. 2 



The flocking habits of the corn-bunting are continued into early 

 spring, so that the first amorous awakenings are, to some extent, of 

 a social character. These, besides actions of considerable interest 

 which have been already described, include the famous song, which, 

 as " clanked " and "jingled " in chorus, has received less attention, 

 and, for aught I know, may now suggest the dashing of whole armadas 

 of glassware along an extended auriferous coast-line. 



1 Ornithologie de la Savoie, iii. p. 288. 



1 Similarly, starlings, when flying in small or moderate bands, utter or produce a soft 

 undulating note, as one may call it, which I have never heard under other circumstances. 



