Buntings. 49 



Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus). 



In the female the distinctive black head and gorget are wanting, 

 the feathers of the head being dark brown, with reddish-brown 

 borders ; the lores and an eyebrow-stripe which bounds the ear-coverts 

 and joins the moustachial stripe pale buff; the throat white, 

 bounded on each side by a broad blackish streak ; the breast is 

 streaked with brown ; otherwise, apart from her inferior size, the 

 hen resembles the cock. 



The Ciel Bunting (Emberiza cirlus). 



The female is much duller than the male, without the distinctive 

 dark olive of crown and nape, blackish of sides of head, chin, and 

 throat ; yellow of eyebrow and moustachial stripes and half-collar, 

 or greyish-olive belt across breast ; it chiefly differs from that sex of 

 the Yellow Bunting in the absence of yellow from the crown, 

 olivaceous rump, and the less pronounced yellow of its under parts. 



Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana). 



The female is altogether duller and browner than the male, the 

 head greener, and streaked with dark brown ; the sides of throat, 

 breast, and sides of abdomen also streaked. 



Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala). 



The female is much duller than the male, and without the black 

 cap; it is sandy brown above, with darker streaks, the rump slightly 

 yellower ; the wing-coverts and quills margined with huffish- white ; 

 the under parts dirty white, more sandy on breast and flanks, 

 which are also narrowly streaked with brown ; belly and under tail- 

 coverts washed with yellow. 



Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus). 



The female is paler than the male above, and without the defined 

 collar on the nape ; the feathers of the crown have tawny margins, 

 and a whitish stripe runs down the centre of the head ; ear-coverts 

 brown, partly edged with blackish ; cheeks and under parts creamy 

 white ; a black line runs below the cheeks to the upper throat, 

 where the feathers are also black, but partly concealed by broad 

 whitish borders. 



Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis). 



In the female all the black parts of the plumage are greyer than 

 in the male, and the feathers have pale (not white) margins ; the 

 head and neck more or less mottled with blackish. 



We now come to the foreign Buntings, in considering which it is 

 best to start with the Cardinals, as most nearly resembling the 

 Grosbeaks. 



D 



