382 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



182. Black-headed Bunting [SCHWAEZKOPFIGER AMMER]. 

 EMBEBIZA MELANOCEPHALA, Scopoli. 



Heligolandish : Swart-hoaded giihl Kliitjer = Black-headed Yellow Bunting. 



Emberiza melanocephala. Naumann, iv. 227, xiii. ; Blasius, Nachtrage, 165. 



Black-headed Bunting. Dresser, iv. 151. 



Bruant crocote. Temminck, Manuel, i. 303, iii. 217. 



I obtained the first example of this large and handsome Bunting 

 on the 4th of June 1845 ; it is an old male in which, singularly, 

 the normal black markings of the head not only extend downwards 

 along the sides of the neck, but the fore-neck also has a long black 

 longitudinal patch. Since that time the species has occurred here 

 about fifteen times, and has been killed in most of these cases. 

 With the exception of one young bird, all these examples are 

 in summer plumage, five old males, three old females, and a male 

 in its second year, being in my collection, while an old pair was 

 given by me to Mr. Gurney. With the exception of the young 

 bird of the year (Sommervogel) which was shot in August, all 

 these examples occurred between the 6th of May and the 18th 

 of June. 



In England this species has only been observed once, an old 

 female having been shot there in November 1868. It appeared 

 astonishing at the time that this individual should have made the 

 journey to England so late in the year, instead of flying towards its 

 winter quarters in the opposite direction. Unquestionably, however, 

 the bird did not get to England at so late a period of the year, but 

 had landed there during the preceding summer, and had remained 

 unobserved, until, in autumn, while accompanying a flock of Yellow 

 Hammers, it was easily recognised on the open field and shot. 



In Heligoland one is probably justified in saying that a bird has 

 arrived on the same day on which it is observed ; in England or 

 the continent, however, such an assumption would not be tenable, 

 especially under conditions such as those mentioned above. 



This Bunting is a breeding bird in Dalmatia, Greece, Asia 

 Minor, and the Caucasus ; it does not appear to nest farther east, 

 for it is not mentioned by Sewertzoff among the birds of 

 Turkestan. 



