368 EMBERIZA 



529. MEADOW-BUNTING. 

 EMBERIZA CIA. 



Emleriza eta, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 310 (1766) ; Naum. iv. p. 270, Taf. 

 104, figs. 1, 2 ; Gould, B. of E. iii. pi. 179 ; Dresser, iv. p. 205, 

 pi. 214 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xii. p. 537. 



Bruant-fou, French ; Trigueiro, Portug. ; dp-dp. Ave-tonta, 

 Span. ; Zigolo-mudatto, Ital. ; Zipammer, German ; Gornaya- 

 ovsyanka, Russ. 



$ ad. (Spain). Crown and nape blue-grey, the sides of the former, 

 line enclosing the eye passing above the ear-coverts, and a moustachial 

 streak black ; supercilium greyish white ; back warm fulvous streaked 

 with dark brown ; rump cinnamon ; wings brown with dull white 

 margins to the primaries, and broad cinnamon to the inner secondaries ; 

 lesser wing-coverts washed with blue-grey, "the median tipped with white ; 

 tail blackish brown with cinnamon margins, the two outer rectrices chiefly 

 white ; throat, neck, and sides of the face pale bluish grey ; breast and 

 abdomen cinnamon, the middle of the latter greyish white ; bill dull 

 plumbeous ; legs yellowish brown ; iris dark brown. Culmen 0'5, wing 

 3'1, tail 3*0, tarsus 0'5 inch. The female is much duller in colour than 

 the male. In the winter the colours of both sexes are obscured by fulvous 

 margins to the feathers. 



Hal. Central and southern Europe, west to Portugal, east to 

 Asia Minor, Palestine, Persia, and Afghanistan, wintering i in 

 N. Africa. 



In general habits it resembles E. citrinella but affects barren 

 dry places and hill-sides where low bushes are scattered about. 

 Its call-note zi-zi-zi is uttered from the top of a bush or rock, 

 and its song is like that of E. citrinella, but if anything, some- 

 what clearer. It feeds on insects and seeds of various kinds, 

 in the winter almost exclusively on the latter. Its nest is like 

 that of the Yellowhammer and is placed on the ground usually 

 amongst stones, and the eggs, 4 or 5 in number, are pale grey 

 or buffy grey marked, chiefly round the larger end, with 

 irregular blackish brown wavy lines which look as if drawn 

 with a pen. In size they average about 0*82 by 0*65. The 

 eggs are usually deposited late in May or in June. 



530. SUBSP. EMBERIZA STRACHEYI. 



Emler'iza stracheyi, Moore, P.Z.S. 1855, p. 215, pi. 112 ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. Br. Mus. xii. p. 539 ; Gates, F. Brit. Ind. Birds, ii. p. 257. 



ad. (Himalayas). Closely resembling E. da, differing only in having 

 the markings on the head white and not grey, the median and greater 



