THE ORTOLAN. 117 



the body, and yellowish white on the under, speckled like the 

 lark's, with blackish brown spots. 



In the female the colours are rather lighter. 



HABITATION. In its wild state this bird is common in most parts of 

 Europe ; in the more northerly parts it does not remain during the winter, 

 and only appears at certain seasons ; in March they are met with amongst 

 the larks in the fields, meadows, and on the high roads, often perched on 

 the tops of willows, or on a stake in a hedge, on a milestone, or a clod of 

 earth. 



In a room it may occupy a lark's cage, but is more commonly let run 

 about at liberty. 



FOOD. Both at liberty and in confinement its food is similar to that of 

 the yellowhammer ; it is however a more delicate bird. 



BREEDING. Its nest, placed under a bush, does not rest on the ground 

 but on the turf; it is constructed of the stalks of grass, and lined with horse- 

 hair. The eggs are grey, speckled with chestnut and streaked with black. 



MODE OF TAKING. In autumn these birds may be taken in an area 

 with a decoy bird ; in winter, before the barn door, with birdlime or a 

 clapper ; in the spring with a bird-call. 



ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES Their song, shorter and less soft than that of 

 the yellowhammer, has only four or five notes ; from their dwelling on the 

 r in the last, they have been given the name of stocking weavers- 



THE ORTOLAN. 



Emberiza hortulena, LINNAEUS ; L'Ortolan, BUFFON ; Der Girtenammer, 

 BECHSTEIN. 



IT is necessary to give a very exact description of this spe- 

 cies, as not only birdcatchers, but even some naturalists, give 

 the name of Ortolan to several very different species. Under 

 this name the former sell all rare birds of this kind. The true 

 ortolan has a wider breast and stronger beak than the yellow- 

 hammer ; it is six inches and a half in length, of which the 

 tail measures two and a half; the beak, six inches long, is 

 thick at the base, with a bony tubercle at the palate, and is of 

 a yellowish flesh- colour ; the iris dark brown. The legs, which 

 stand ten lines in height, are flesh-coloured; the head and 

 neck is greyish olive ; the throat and a streak on the neck 

 from the angle of the beak, deep yellow. 



The female is rather smaller, of a changeable shining ash- 

 colour on its head and neck, streaked with fine black lines. 

 Its breast, and the upper and under part of its body, are lighter 

 than in the male. 



