180 



once only, saw a fine male bird feeding among Sparrows, Greenfinches, &c. in the courtyard where 

 the Emus are kept." He adds, " I never heard of it before or since in these parts, and never 

 recognized its note, which I know well." In the continuation of his paper on the distribution of 

 birds in Great Britain during the breeding-season, Mr. A. G. More thus writes : — " Along the 

 south coast, from Cornwall to Sussex ; but does not appear to breed in Kent. Nests occasionally 

 in Surrey (Mr. F. Godman). Has been seen in Herts, in May, by the Rev. H. H. Crewe, who 

 has lately found it breeding near Tring (Ibis, 1865, p. 114). It has been obtained in Berks by 

 the Bev. F. O. Morris, and in Bucks (II. H. Crewe). Breeds in Gloucestershire (Bev. F. J. Scott), 

 in Hereford (Mr. B. M. Lingwood), in Worcester and Warwick (Mr. R. F. Tomes). The few 

 birds which have been noticed further north were most likely accidental visitors." In Belgium, 

 De Selys-Longchamps records it as being rare near Liege, but found nesting in the valley of the 

 Rhine. De la Fontaine says that in Luxembourg it is probably accidental, as he has never 

 observed it. Herr von Homeyer writes to us that he found it breeding on the left bank of the 

 Moselle ; he also observed it near Trier, Igel on the Saar, and Metlach. 



Mr. H. M. Labouchere informs us that in Holland it is of rare occurrence, and does not 

 breed there. According to Degland and Gerbe it is a bird of passage in Northern France, but 

 resident and common in the Pyrenees, Anjou, and Provence. Jaubert and Barthelemy-Lapom- 

 rneraye also state that it " seldom breeds in the north of France, but is common and sedentary 

 in the departments of the Var, Basses- Alpes, and Vaucluse." Bailly remarks : — " Although com- 

 mon in Switzerland and Savoy during the summer season, it is less so than the Yellow Ammer, 

 which it much resembles in its habits. Very few remain with us during the winter, but retreat 

 to the south to avoid the cold." 



Respecting its distribution in Spain, Mr. Howard Saunders writes to us: — This species is 

 generally distributed throughout Spain, but is nowhere very numerous. Its favourite haunts are 

 the sides of hills, preferring more barren and less cultivated ground than E. cia. I found its nest 

 near Alora, almost within sight of Africa." We are likewise indebted to Major Irby, who has 

 paid great attention to the ornithology of Gibraltar and the neighbourhood, for a note, in 

 which he says that it is a resident in that locality, perhaps more common in spring, when an 

 influx of individuals from the south appears to take place. In Portugal it is plentiful all the year 

 round, according to Professor Barboza du Bocage ; but Dr. E. Rey tells us that it is very rare in 

 the southern part of the country. It is found, according to Von Homeyer, on the Balearic Isles, 

 being the only southern form of Bunting occurring there. 



Count Salvadori writes to us : — 



" In autumn many of these Buntings arrive in Italy from the north and pass on to winter in 

 the warmer southern regions. In spring they go northwards ; but many remain to breed in our 

 mountains." Professor Doderlein states that it is a bird of passage, of somewhat unfrequent 

 occurrence in Modena, and rather more abundant about Bologna. The same author says : — 

 " In Sicily it is common and resident throughout the year, frequenting the gardens and small 

 hills in the neighbourhood of towns in winter, and retiring to the wooded mountains to breed. 

 Lord Lilford found it " resident, but not very abundant, in Corfu." Lindermayer writes con- 

 cerning the present species in Greece, as follows : — " Arrives in our olive-groves in considerable 

 numbers, from the north of Europe, about the middle of October, when it loves to sit on the 



