THE COMMON BUNTING. 159 



often when an individual, which has been resting on a twig or wall- 

 top, starts away, it allows its feet to hang for a short time before it 

 commences its bounding flight/ On the ground its movements are 

 slow and ungraceful, in consequence of the shortness of its legs com- 

 pared with the size of its body. 



The food of this bird consists partly of insects, but principally of 

 grain, and the seeds of the millet and other grasses, hence its specific 

 name Miliaria. During the winter it visits farm-yards, in company 

 with Chaffinches, Sparrows, and other birds, and sometimes does great 

 damage to the corn-stacks. Knapp, in his "Journal of a Naturalist," 

 says, "It could hardly be supposed that this bird, not larger than a 

 Lark, is capable of doing serious injury; yet I this morning witnessed 

 a rick of barley, standing in a detached field, entirely stripped of its 

 thatching, which this Bunting effected by seizing the end of the straw, 

 and deliberately drawing it out, to search for any grain the ear might 

 contain. The Sparrow and other birds burrow into the stack, and 

 pilfer the corn; but the deliberate operation of unroofing the edifice 

 appears to be the habit of the Bunting alone." In consequence of 

 its partiality to grain this bird is often called the Corn Bunting; its 

 flesh is considered excellent eating. 



The nest, which is finished towards the end of April, is usually 

 placed on the ground, under the shelter of a bush or tuft of grass, 

 or sometimes slightly raised among brambles or briars. It is composed 

 of straw and fibrous roots, intermingled with dry grass and leaves, 

 and lined with fine fibres and hair. The eggs, from four to six in 

 number, are of a pale greyish or yellowish white ground colour, irreg- 

 ularly spotted and streaked with reddish brown or greyish purple. They 

 are usually of an obtuse oval shape, but vary much in form, as also 

 in size and colour. Some specimens have a nearly white ground. 



Although these birds live in pairs during the spring and summer, 

 they are usually to be seen in large flocks during the autumn and 

 winter; many of them roost in the bushes when the nights are cold, 

 while others nestle amid the stubble; the latter are frequently caught 

 in the nets employed for capturing Sky Larks. 



The Common Bunting is the largest of its family, being about seven 

 and a half inches in length. Its body is particularly stout and robust, 

 while its wings and legs are rather short, so that it has an awkward 

 and un wieldly appearance. Neither is its plumage at all gay or attractive; 

 the upper parts are light yellowish brown, with the shaft of each feather 

 blackish brown at the extremity. The general colour of the lower parts 

 is pale yellowish grey, many of the feathers of the throat and breast 

 are tipped with brownish black. The irides are dark hazel; the legs, 



