194 



edged with pale brown; tail slightly emarginate, blackish brown, the inner webs of the two outer 

 tail-feathers for the most part white, this colour occupying nearly the whole of the outer rectrix, 

 but being much narrower on the second feather, where it is little more than an oblique stripe of white ; 

 throat white, bordered on each side by a moustachial line of black commencing from the base of the 

 lower mandible ; breast dull white, inclining to buff on the flanks, striped with longitudinal shaft- 

 markings of dark brown, more numerous and larger on the flanks, and collecting on the fore part of 

 the chest so as to form an irregular band ; upper mandible deep horn-grey, more reddish and lighter at 

 the base and round the nostrils ; under mandible at the basal part dirty white, the rest grey ; feet and 

 nails pale flesh-colour, the latter horn-grey towards the tip; iris brown. Total length 5'5 inches, 

 culmen 0'45, wing 31, tail 2'5, tarsus 0'75. 



Female. In general coloration very similar to the male, but more rufous on the back and rump, and 

 especially on the wings and tail, which are edged with deep rust-colour ; the crown of the head is 

 slightly tinged with brown, and the central white stripe extends from the base of the bill to the nape ; 

 cheeks dull brown, inclining to rufous ; the under surface of the body more numerously spotted and 

 streaked with blackish, the markings on the chest being arrow-shaped, and extending further up the 

 throat than in the male. Total length 5 inches, culmen - 45, wing 3, tail 2 - 5, tarsus - 75. 



Obs. The sexual difference in this Bunting is scarcely observable in the plumage ; for very old females in 

 my series of specimens much resemble younger males, and differ from the adult males more in the 

 smaller size and breadth of the black markings on the side of the head than in any other point. 

 [Radde, I. c.) 



Obs. In the immature birds both sexes are alike. The superciliary streak increases in breadth above and 

 behind the eye, extending forwards towards the nostril, and on the forehead almost unites with the one 

 on the other side of the head {vide Taf. iv. fig. 1 c) . In the male the lemon-yellow tinge appears even 

 on the fore part of the coronal white stripe ; the mark on the cheek is brown, paler in the centre, and 

 less distinct on the fore part, being lighter in the female than in the male. The white spot behind the 

 ear is less distinct than in old birds. The white band along the side of the head is broader in immature 

 birds, but is intermixed with black spots, and the feathers edging it are mixed with black and brown. 

 The brown coloration and the edgings of clayey yellow are noticeable points in the feathers of the upper 

 parts. The reddish edgings to the shoulder-feathers and rusty yellow edgings to the primaries and 

 secondaries are broader. On the white of the breast and on the yellowish feathers between the forks of 

 the lower mandible are numerous black spots, pointed at the base and more or less broad at the end, 

 these spots being forked on the throat and elongated on the sides. The white mark on the second tail- 

 feather is much broader at the end of the inner web than in adult individuals ; and the third feather has 

 near the shaft a white wedge-shaped spot on the inner web. On the white under wing-coverts are a 

 few greyish-black spots. [Radde, I. c.) 



The present species forms an interesting link between the avifauna of the Nearctic and Palsearctic 

 Regions ; for it is by no means a typical Bunting, hut belongs to the subgenus Passerculus, a well- 

 known American form : indeed its nearest ally is certainly P. savanna, of North America. It is 

 strictly an eastern bird, and its occurrences in Europe are only two in number. 



The Yellow-browed Bunting was first discovered by Pallas in Dauria, where it was rare. It 

 has since been met with by Radde during his journey in Siberia; and this excellent collector met 

 with it during the autumn migration on the Tarei-Nor, and procured many specimens. Pere 

 David speaks of it as abundant near Peking in the spring ; and Mr. Swinhoe obtained it in the 



