120 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



in many tropical parts of Asia and casual in south and west Europe, 

 Austria, Bohemia, Italy, south France, Malta, Heligoland. 



EMBERIZA CIRLUS 



47. Emberiza cirlus L. THE CIRL BUNTING. 



EMBEKIZA CIKUTS Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. xn, i, p. 311 (1766 S. Europe). 

 Emberiza cirlus Linnaeus, Yarrell, n, p. 50 ; Saunders, p. 211. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 5) . Adult male. Winter. Fore-head and crown 

 greyish olive-green, streaked black and tinged brown ; back of neck 

 with fewer dark streaks ; mantle and scapulars chestnut, fringed 

 greyish-buff, tips of feathers with black centres forming streaks ; 

 rump olive-brown, indistinctly streaked ; upper tail-coverts rufous- 

 brown with black shaft-streaks ; stripes from base of bill over and 

 under eye, fore-part of ear-coverts and spot behind them yellow ; 

 lores, upper and hinder part of ear-coverts greenish -black ; chin 

 and upper-throat black, tipped buffish- white ; lower-throat and 

 extending to sides of neck yellow ; upper-breast greyish olive-green ; 

 sides of breast chestnut, tipped buff ; centre of breast, belly, and 

 under tail-coverts yellow, feathers tipped buffish-white, and long 

 under tail-coverts with black shaft-streaks ; flanks buff, streaked 

 dark brown ; axillaries yellow ; tail black -brown, central pair 

 fringed brown, rest very narrowly fringed greenish-brown on outer, 

 and white on inner webs, outermost pair with outer web mostly 

 white and large white wedge on inner web, penultimate pair witli 

 small white wedge ; primaries black-brown very narrowly fringed 

 greyish on outer, and white on inner webs ; secondaries same, but 

 outer webs fringed brown ; inner secondaries and greater coverts 

 broadly fringed chestnut-brown ; median coverts tipped greyish- 

 buff ; lesser coverts greyish-green. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult in Aug.-Oct. Summer. Feathers of yellow 

 stripes above and below eye and ear-coverts are moulted March 

 and April, but apparently no other moult. Abrasion gradually 

 makes crown more grey and black, mantle more chestnut, 

 chin blacker, upper breast purer green, and sides of breast more 

 chestnut. 



Adult female. Winter. Upper-parts much as male, but crown 

 and nape browner and rather more streaked ; mantle less chestnut ; 

 stripe over eye and spot behind ear-coverts ill defined, and buff, 

 not yellow ; ear-coverts yellowish-brown ; chin and throat yellowish- 

 buff, spotted dark brown ; ill defined dark malar streaks ; 

 upper-breast and flanks darker, prominently streaked, sides of 

 breast tinged chestnut ; lower breast, belly, and under tail-coverts 

 pale yellow, with few dark streaks ; axillaries pale yellow ; tail as 

 male but white marks slightly smaller ; wings as male. Summer. 

 Moult round eyes and ear-coverts, as in male. Abrasion makes 

 crown and rump greyer ; mantle more chestnut ; eye -stripe 

 rather more prominent ; throat yellower and less spotted ; upper- 



