BUNTING. 31 



ordinarily only a 'chuck' or 'chit,' which, quickly run together 

 and then protracted, form the staple of its song: it is heard 

 at a considerable distance. 



Nidification commences towards the end of April. 



The nest, which is begun and finished in the course of 

 this month, is usually placed on the ground, or only slightly 

 raised above it by coarse herbage, and frequently on a bank, 

 sometimes in a bush, or under a hedge, among the grass, is 

 composed of small roots and dry straws and grasses, lined 

 with smaller grasses, and small fibrous roots, moss, and hair, 

 rather neatly, but not finely compacted. It is somewhat 

 large and thick, but shallow inside. 



The eggs, generally four, or rarely five or six, in number, 

 and of an obtuse oval shape, are of a whitish colour, with a 

 slight tinge of grey or red, sometimes pale purple red, streaked 

 and spotted in a very irregular manner with dark purple 

 brown and pale greyish purple. They differ a good deal in 

 size, shape, and colour. In some the ground-colour is nearly 

 white. 



Male; weight, nearly two ounces; length, rather more than 

 seven inches and a quarter, or seven and a half; Mr. Mac- 

 gillivray has met with one over eight inches long; bill, short 

 and thick, the upper one dark brown, excepting on the edges 

 towards the base, which, as also the under one, is pale yellow 

 brown. Its shape, as in the rest of the family, is very peculiar 

 the upper part is smaller than the lower, and fits closely 

 into it when shut. Iris, dark brown; over it is a faint line 

 of pale yellowish grey; head, crown, and neck on the back, 

 pale yellowish brown, inclining to olive-colour, streaked with 

 darker brown on the centre of each feather; in front, the 

 latter has each feather tipped with a triangular spot of 

 brownish black, the spots being larger and darker along a 

 line on each side; nape, as the back of the neck. Chin, 

 throat, and breast, dull whitish or yellowish brown the latter 

 colour in winter, the former in summer marked on the sides 

 with streaked spots of dark brown, which are more lengthened 

 lower down; the shafts of the feathers being dusky; a gorget 

 of small brown spots passes from the base of the bill, and 

 so spreads over the breast. Back, pale yellowish brown, 

 streaked with darker brown on the centre of each feather 

 along the shaft; in autumn it assumes an olive tint. 



The wings expand to the width of one foot one inch. In 

 Mr. Macgillivray's specimen, spoken of above, the wings ex- 



