172 



feathers edged near the base with rufous, the next ones edged with greenish yellow, the two outer 

 feathers for the most part brown, but white for nearly the apical half of the inner web ; throat, sides of 

 the neck, centre of the breast, and abdomen bright citron-yellow ; the upper part of the breast and 

 flanks mottled with cinnamon, the latter distinctly striped with brown ; bill bluish ; feet pale brown ; 

 iris dark brown. Total length 67 inches, culm. - 45, wing 3'25, tail 2-75, tarsus 07. 



Female. Head greyish brown, strongly tinged in the centre with citron- yellow, of which colour the bases of 

 the feathers are entirely composed, all of them being marked down the shaft with dark brown ; the 

 lores and a slight eyebrow clear citron-yellow ; the eye surrounded by a ring of whitish feathers ; 

 cheeks and ear-coverts greyish brown, washed with citron-yellow and more or less distinctly tinged 

 with rufous brown ; sides and hinder part of the neck greyish brown, tinged with yellow ; back-feathers 

 dark brown in the centre, the edges fulvescent, and all slightly washed with ochre ; lower part of the 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pale cinnamon ; least wing-coverts brown, broadly edged with olive- 

 green, the greater ones brown, margined with rufous ; quills and tail coloured exactly as in the male ; 

 throat clear citron-yellow, with a few little shaft-markings of brown ; rest of the body citron-yellow, 

 the upper breast strongly mottled with brown and tinged with olive-green, the flanks inclining to grey 

 and strongly striped with dark brown and washed with rufous brown ; centre of abdomen clear yellow ; 

 under wing- and tail-coverts citron-yellow, the former mottled, the latter more or less striped along the 

 shaft, with brown ; bill bluish grey ; feet pale brown ; iris dark brown. 



Male in winter plumage. More clouded than in summer, the feathers of the head especially, being marked 

 longitudinally with broad greenish shaft-stripes, and a generally more dingy appearance being produced 

 by fulvous edgings to the feathers. 



Female in winter plumage. Like the male the winter dress is similar to the summer garb, but very much 

 more dingy, owing to the edgings on the feathers. 



The Yellow Bunting, or, as it is more generally called, the Yellow Ammer, is a common bird 

 in the western Palsearctic Region. The metropolis of the species is probably in Central Europe, 

 whence it extends as far north as Lapland, and goes eastward even into Siberia. In Southern 

 Europe it gradually becomes scarcer and scarcer by degrees, and in South-western Europe is 

 decidedly a rare bird. As will be seen from the detailed account of its geographical range given 

 below, it is an unsettled species, migrating in some localities. 



As regards its distribution in the United Kingdom, Mr. A. G. More's useful paper, so often 

 referred to, informs us that it is found everywhere during the nesting-season, even as far north as 

 Orkney, where it is said to have bred twice to the knowledge of Messrs. Baikie and Heddle. 



On the Continent the present species is equally common, but is generally richer in coloration 

 than British examples. Specimens received from our friend Count Salvadori are exceedingly 

 bright, the yellow throat being so intense as almost to amount to orange. In France MM. 

 Jaubert and Barthelemy de la Pommeraye state that it is a regular breeder all over France, 

 excepting the southern parts, where it is only observed on the more elevated localities. In 

 Lorraine it is common and sedentary, according to Godron ; and throughout Holland, we are 

 informed by Mr. Labouchere, is very abundant. De Selys-Longchamps says it is plentiful in 

 Belgium all the year round, receiving great additions to its numbers in the winter, when a great 

 many are captured by the villagers. In Luxembourg also De la Fontaine states that is a very 

 common bird. In Denmark it is generally distributed, and is found likewise all over Germany. 



