THE SPARROW BUNTING. 227 



cuting their whirlings and manoeuvres, which now proved beyond 

 a doubt, what I had never before suspected, that the birds had 

 been all the time endeavouring to attract our attention towards 

 them, instead of towards their nest." 



97. THE SPARROW BUNTING. 



Embcriza Passerina, LIN. Ortolan Passerin, BUF. Der Sperling- 

 sammer, BECH. 



Description. This species has probably been confounded 

 with the preceding, or it would have been better known in 

 Germany, where it is not rare in the spring and autumn. It 

 is somewhat smaller and more slender than the Reed Bunting, 

 and is five inches long, of which the tail measures two inches 

 and a half. The beak is black on tfye upper side, and light 

 brown below ; the iris is dark chestnut ; the feet nine linos in 

 height, and of a dusky flesh-colour. The plumage resembles 

 in general that of the female Eeed Bunting. 



In the male, the top of the head is a reddish rust colour, 

 tinged with olive grey, and spotted with black, from the ori- 

 ginal colour of the leathers, which shines through. A dirty 

 reddish white stripe begins from the nostrils, passes over, and 

 partly encircles the eyes, behind which it increases in width. 

 The temples are chestnut brown, with a glimmering shade of 

 black, which on the sides of the neck becomes a decided black 

 spot. A yellowish white stripe runs from the lower corner of 

 the beak, half way down each side of 'the neck, and loses itself 

 behind the temples, in the reddish white streak above the eyes. 

 The throat is black, mottled with grey ; the rest of the lower 

 part of the body is greyish white, spotted on the sides with 

 brown. The vent is white ; the back of the neck olive grey, 

 tinged with red. The smaller wing coverts are a fine reddish 

 rust colour ; the larger black, with broad edges of rust colour. 

 The pen feathers are blackish, with a margin of olive grey, 

 which in the hindmost becomes rust colour. The tail is forked 

 and black, the two outer feathers having a wedge-shaped white 

 spot, and the centre ones being edged with rust colour. 



The plumage of the female is generally lighter than that of 

 the male. There are no black stripes on the top of the head ; 

 but similar stripes to those in the male pass over the eyes, and 

 down the sides of the neck. On each side a blackish brown 

 streak passes from the chin to the middle of the neck. The 

 throat and all the lower part of the body are a dirty reddish 



Q 2 



