Birds of Britain 



eye. Chin and throat black, succeeded by a narrow yellow 

 collar. Upper breast grey ; lower breast chestnut Rest of 

 under parts pale yellow, becoming brownish streaked with 

 darker on the flanks. 



The female is much duller in colour and has the throat 

 yellow. She closely resembles the hen Yellow Hammer, but 

 may be distinguished by the absence of yellow on the head 

 and by the lesser wing coverts being reddish brown and 

 not black. The young roughly resemble the female. 

 Length 6 '5 in. ; wing 3 '2 5 in. 



THE ORTOLAN BUNTING 



Emberiza hortulana, Linnaeus 



Up to within the last few years this bird was so freely 

 imported alive to supply the wants of epicures that a large 

 number of its supposed occurrences in these islands are open 

 to suspicion. There seems, however, little doubt, that genuine 

 wild examples have reached these islands from time to time. 



This species breeds sparingly in Scandinavia and 

 thence southwards through Denmark, Germany, and France, 

 but it is only in the south of Europe that it becomes 

 common, migrating eastwards and southwards to Abyssinia 

 and North India in winter. 



The male has the head greyish ; rest of upper parts pale 

 brown streaked with black. Throat yellow, becoming greyish 

 on the upper breast ; rest of under parts pale chestnut. The 

 hen is duller with darker streaks on the head. Length 

 6 in.; wing 3*25 in. 



'44 



