100 BRITISH BIRDS WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



ing, and sang regularly in the spring : unfortunately I kept this example in a 

 cage, and, at its third moult, all its quills grew out like fans, giving the bird a 

 most wild and uncanny aspect ; indeed it was such an object that I gave it away 

 to some poor child who took a fancy to it. 



About 1889 I again purchased a Brambling from a bird-catcher, and turned 

 it into a good-sized aviary with other British species : it soon became fairly tame, 

 sang well each spring, and rarely made itself objectionable to its associates ; it 

 lived principally upon seed, but ate a certain amount of soft food and any chance 

 insects which were thrown to it. The plumage of this bird was so perfect that a 

 friend who greatly desired to have it for show-purposes persuaded me to let him 

 purchase it. 



Bramblings have not only bred in confinement, but have been successfully 

 crossed with Chaffinches. The Natural History Museum at Florence contains 

 several hybrids between the Brambling and Chaffinch. These specimens show 

 ample evidence of their origin, and were netted in a wild state by the Italian 

 birdcatchers. 



Family FRINGILLID&. Subfamily EMBERIZINsE. 



THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. 



Emberiza melanocephala, SCOP. 



IN spite of the fact that the Black-headed Bunting has hardly any claim to be 

 called a British bird, it is necessary to give an account and illustration of it, 

 in order that the confusion existing in the minds of many, respecting this species 

 and the Reed Bunting, may be abolished. 



Dr. Sharpe summarizes the distribution of this bird as follows : " Southern 

 Europe from Asia Minor and Greece, westwards to Southern Germany and Southern 



