BMBERIZA. 255 



Emberiza albida, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xviii, p. 811 (1849); id. Cat. 



p. 128. 

 The White-crowned Bunting, Jerd. 



Coloration. Male. After the moult the forehead and crown are 

 ashy, streaked with brown, the base of the feathers white, but not 

 showing at first ; lores, round the eye, and a short but broad 

 Bupercilium, cheeks, chin, throat, and sides of the neck chestnut, 

 each feather margined with white ; ear-coverts brown, divided down 

 the middle by a band of white which extends under the eye to the 

 gape ; hind neck ashy, turning to rufous on the back and scapulars, 

 the feathers of which are streaked with black ; rump and upper tail- 

 coverts chestnut, margined with white ; tail dark brown, narrowly 

 margined with pale rufous, the two outer pairs of feathers with 

 the terminal two-thirds of the inner web, and a margin on the 

 outer web, white ; lesser coverts pale rufous ; median and greater 

 coverts and tertiaries black, with broad rufous margins ; quills 

 brown, narrowly margined with pale rufous ; a large patch of white 

 on the lower throat ; breast chestnut, margined with white ; abdo- 

 men white ; sides of the body white, streaked with chestnut. 



In the spring the crown and nape become pure white, bounded 

 on each side and on the forehead by a black band ; the chestnut 

 on the sides of the head and on the chin and throat becomes pure, 

 owing to the white margins wearing off ; the breast and sides of 

 the body also become purer chestnut, but the white on these parts 

 never entirely disappears. 



Between the two extreme plumages described every intermediate 

 stage is to be found. 



Female. The forehead, crown, and nape ashy streaked with 

 brown, and without any white at the base of the feathers ; the 

 remaining upper plumage, wings, and tail as in the male, but 

 duller ; the white band on the side of the head and all chestnut on 

 this part and the chin and throat are wanting the former part 

 being more or less plain brown, and the two latter whitish streaked 

 with brown ; breast and sides of the body rufous, streaked with 

 brown and varied with white; abdomen white. 



The young bird appears to resemble the male. 



Upper mandible very dark brown, the base from gape to nostril 

 yellowish ; lower mandible very pale horny bluish ; legs yellowish 

 fleshy, feet slightly tinged brown ; iris dark brown (Hume 

 Coll.). 



Length about 7 ; tail 3-4 ; wing 3-6 ; tarsus '75 ; bill from 

 gape -5. 



Distribution. A winter visitor to GHlgit, Kashmir, and the Hima- 

 layas down to Garhwal. At this season the Pine-Bunting is also 

 found in Afghanistan and Europe, but in the summer it is con- 

 fined to Northern Asia. 



