"6 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



rosy salmon, boldly blotched, spotted, and slightly streaked with purplish black, 

 chiefly towards the larger extremity, where the markings sometimes form an 

 imperfect zone ; the shell- markings are violet greyish : in form they vary much in 

 the same manner as eggs of the Yellow Hammer. 



The food of this bird does not materially differ from that of the other species 

 of Emberisa, consisting mainly of insects in spring and summer, and of seeds and 

 grain in autumn and winter. 



The song of the Ortolan Bunting consists of one melancholy whistled note 

 repeated five times, the fifth repetition being prolonged " Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoodo." 

 I have heard it dozens of times, and am absolutely certain that this is a fact. To 

 be sure of a song, it is necessary to make a note of the exact sounds whilst the 

 bird is uttering them ; if you wait until you are lying in bed in a somnolent 

 condition and attempt to recall a song, you may feel quite positive that you have 

 hit upon the very notes ; you reach over to your pockets and abstract pencil and 

 paper to jot the phrase down before it escapes you : later on, you compare your 

 production with the original, and discover that you are wide of the mark : there 

 is absolutely no resemblance between the dream and the reality. 



About 1891 a pair of Ortolan Buntings was given to me by Mr. P. J. Lowrey ; 

 and, judging (from my experience of Yellow Hammers and Reed Buntings in 

 captivity) that this species would be equally inoffensive, I turned them out into a 

 large covered aviary with English Finches, and many small Ploceine Finches. At 

 first the Ortolans were quiet enough, their feathers being somewhat abraded (owing 

 to the fact that they had been kept in a cage in some small bird-shop) : no sooner, 

 however, had these birds moulted and thus recovered their full power of flight, 

 than they occupied themselves for the greater part of each day in chasing the 

 unfortunate Waxbills and Mannikins all over the aviary. Apparently, the Ortolans 

 had no vicious intentions in the pursuit of their weaker associates ; they never 

 actually pecked them, when they had an opportunity of doing so ; but they could 

 not resist the pleasure which the frantic terror of the little Finches evidently gave 

 them : they darted up and down the aviary almost with the rapidity of a Swallow, 

 whilst the poor little hunted birds, unable to escape by mere speed, were forced 

 to fling themselves against the wirework and double back to avoid their pursuers. 



Seeing that it was impossible to keep Ortolans in an aviary containing 

 Ornamental Finches, I now captured my birds and placed them in another aviary 

 with Redwings, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, &c., here they suddenly dropped all the 

 active habits which had previously characterized them, becoming as dull and listless 

 as other members of their genus : their health, nevertheless, was always perfect, 

 and their plumage tight and glossy. I parted with this pair at the same time as 



