160 



Young Male just fledged (Smyrna, 19th June). Upper parts greyish brown marked with dark brown, the 

 feathers margined with buff ; quills blackish brown, the primaries margined with buff, the secondaries 

 broadly margined with rufous ; the wing-coverts edged with warm buff; underparts buffy white, closely 

 and distinctly striped with dark brown ; the centre of the abdomen nearly white, and more sparingly 

 striped. 



Obs. In the autumn plumage the male has a yellowish tinge to the plumage, especially on the underparts, 

 and the female also has this tinge, but more greenish in tone of colour. 



The range of this Bunting is very restricted. First discovered by the late H. E. Strickland, Esq., 

 near Smyrna, in April 1836, it was for long lost sight of; and, with one exception, it has, so far 

 as I can ascertain, been obtained nowhere else but in Asia Minor, whence of later years 

 Dr. Kriiper has sent many specimens. This gentleman states (J. f. O. 1875, p. 270) that he 

 fully believes that it occurs in Europe proper, and that it is said to have been observed in 

 Southern Russia. No specimen has, he adds, been obtained in Greece ; but it is not improbable 

 that it may visit that country. There is one solitary instance of its occurrence in North Africa, 

 recorded by Dr. Th. von Heuglin, who writes (I.e.) as follows: — "Amongst the skins collected 

 by us in Africa Dr. Blasius discovered an immature example of Emberiza cinerea, which I see 

 from my original label was a female, obtained in October near Keren, in the Bogos country. 

 This specimen, which is now in the Brunswick Museum, is the only known African example of 

 this exceedingly rare species, which may therefore visit the Abyssinian coastal regions on passage, 

 or as an accidental straggler. 



That the present species is by no means rare near Smyrna is proved by the numbers of 

 specimens- obtained by Dr. Kriiper; but I find nothing on record respecting its habits beyond 

 what is given by that gentleman (J. f. O. 1875, pp. 268-270), which I translate as follows: — 

 " On the 31st March last year (1863), when in company with Mr. Schrader in search of Emberiza 

 ecesia on the mountains above Burnova (Burnabat), I observed a bird fly up onto a moderate- 

 sized rock, and on shooting it was not a little surprised to find an unknown Bunting with a rich 

 yellow throat. I then thought it to belong to a new species ; for I had not seen Strickland's 

 description for ten years, when I was a student, and had forgotten it. On the 2nd April I shot 

 a second male ; and on the 10th 1 obtained the first female. Since then I got to know the bird 

 better, and procured several specimens. This season I observed the first male on the 3rd April, 

 and the first female on the 15th. As is the case with all the Buntings, the males arrive first, 

 about ten clays before the females ; and I also observed that, as with the other Buntings, the 



males predominate greatly in numbers Directly the females arrive they pair ; so that one 



seldom sees a female alone, but in company with her mate. The nest is far more difficult to find 

 than that of Emberiza ccesia ; for although I used every exertion, and searched through the 

 places where they must nest for hours and hours after insects, I never succeeded in finding a 

 nest with eggs. Above Burnova I observed a pair engaged in building their nest. The female 

 fetched the materials and was accompanied by the male, who gave warning. After having seen 

 the female disappear three times amongst the stones and underbrush, 1 did not disturb them any 

 more, but visited the place a week later and found the nest-place forsaken. I subsequently shot 

 a female and found in her fully developed but shelless eggs ; and another had laid all but one. 



