ORTOLAN BUNTING. 505 



prefer light sandy soils, and build invariably on the ground 

 in fields of corn, at least, I have never met with a nest in 

 any other situation ; those I found were placed in a slight 

 hollow, were something similar to the nest of the Sky Lark, 

 but rather more compact ; the interior lined with fine grass 

 and a few hairs ; the eggs are from four to six in number," 

 bluish white, speckled and spotted with black. 4t These 

 birds retire southward early, few being seen after the end 

 of August. They are at that time taken in great numbers 

 in nets with decoy birds, and fattened for the table."" Mr. 

 Gould says that when thus caught they are kept in a dark 

 room, and there fed with plenty of oats and millet seed, 

 upon which they quickly fatten ; and Mr. David Booth, in 

 his Analytical Dictionary of the English Language, which 

 abounds with interesting references to Natural History, 

 says, " these birds are fed up till they become lumps of fat 

 of three ounces in weight, some of which are potted, or 

 otherwise preserved, and exported to other countries ." 



The natural food of the Ortolan Bunting is grain and 

 seeds when ripened, with insects during the early part of 

 the season. 



It is a common bird in the southern countries of Europe 

 from May to August, is seen at Gibraltar every spring and 

 autumn, is common at Tangiers, and winters in North Africa. 

 It is found in Sicily, Malta, and Crete. It was observed at 

 Smyrna by Mr. H. E. Strickland in April, and is included 

 by Colonel Sykes in his Catalogue of the Birds of the 

 Dukhun. 



The adult male in summer has the beak reddish brown, 

 the palatal knob small ; the irides brown ; head and 

 cheeks greenish grey ; the feathers on the back rich 

 reddish brown, but almost black in the centre ; primaries 

 dusky black, narrowly edged with rufous brown ; tertials 



