THE YELLOWHAMMER. 213 



91. THE YELLOWHAMMEE. 

 Emberiza, Citrinella, LIN. Le Bruant, BUF. Der Goldammer, BECH. 



Description. Although this bird is so well known, a descrip- 

 tion of it is rendered necessary by the fact, that young males 

 and old females are often mistaken for each other. It is six 

 inches and a half in length, of which the tail, which is forked, 

 measures three inches. The beak is five lines long ; in summer a 

 dirty dark blue, in winter ash-coloured : the iris dark brown ; 

 the feet light brown, and nine lines in height. In old birds 

 the head is a beautiful light yellow, usually marked on the 

 cheeks and poll with a few dark olive brown spots. It is 

 a sign of very great age, if the head and neck be a pure golden 

 yellow. The nape of the neck is olive green ; the back black, 

 mixed with reddish grey ; the rump orange. The throat and 

 lower part of the neck, and the belly, are a beautiful light 

 yellow ; the breast, especially at the sides, and the vent, are 

 spotted with orange and yellow. The lesser coverts are olive ; 

 the larger and hindermost pen feathers black, tinged with rust- 

 colour ; the foremost pen feathers, blackish, with a margin of 

 greenish yellow. The tail feathers are blackish ; the two ex- 

 ternal ones having on them a wedge-shaped white spot, and 

 the centre ones being edged with rust colour. 



The female is somewhat smaller ; and the head and the 

 cheeks are so covered with brown, and the neck with olive 

 green spots, that hardly any yellow is perceptible. The breast 

 is only spotted with rust colour, and the wing coverts mottled 

 with reddish white. At a distance, therefore, the general ap- 

 pearance is rather grey than yellow. 



Before the first moulting, the young males bear a close re- 

 semblance to old females, except that the throat is yellow ; 

 and that a yellow spot on the poll, and a stripe of the same 

 colour over the eyes, is distinctly perceptible. The breast and 

 rump also are now decidedly orange, and less spotted. 



Both white and spotted varieties are occasionally met with. 



Habitat. The Yellowhammer inhabits the whole of Europe, 

 as well as the north of Asia. In summer- it frequents groves 

 and thickets ; but in autumn may be observed more in the 

 fields, and in winter haunts barns and stables. 



When confined, it is usually allowed to range the raom ; 



