236 



Young (Waldooshki, 15th July). Crown and sides of the head chestnut-brown, irregularly marked with 

 black and buffy brown ; otherwise it resembles the female, but the upper parts are much more broadly 

 margined with dull foxy rufous, and the inner quills are broadly margined with chestnut-red ; chin, 

 throat, and chest buffy white, the two latter profusely and closely marked with black ; rest of the 

 underparts white, the flanks streaked with blackish and tinged with buff. 



Adult in winter dress (Archangel, 16th August). All the feathers on the upper parts broadly margined with 

 wood-brown, and on the head with reddish wood-brown, these margins almost hiding the dark streaks 

 on the head and the dark markings on the upper parts ; underparts tinged with warm buff, especially 

 on the breast and flanks. 



This, the smallest of our European Buntings, inhabits North-eastern Europe during the summer 

 season, ranging eastward across the continent of Asia to Eastern Siberia. In the winter it 

 migrates southward, and has been met with in Asia Minor and Syria in the Western Palae- 

 arctic Region, and the Bay of Bengal in India. As a rare straggler it has been observed in 

 various parts of Europe, and even in great Britain, and occurs nearly every year in Heligoland. 

 The single specimen which has been obtained in Great Britain was taken in a clap-net near 

 Brighton on the 2nd November, 1864, and is now in the collection of Mr. Monk. In Scandinavia 

 this Bunting appears to have been only once noticed in Sweden ; and I find no record of its having 

 been observed in Norway. Professor Nilsson says that in April 1815 a female was shot in a 

 willow-hedge at Lund in company with Reed-Sparrows. In Finland it does not appear to have 

 been obtained, though it is so common in many parts of the north of Russia, especially near 

 Archangel. Meves first observed it near Onega ; and I have figured one shot there by him. 

 Professor Lilljeborg, who met with it on his excursion to the Dvina in 1848, says, " At Wajmugan 

 this bird was already not uncommon, but by no means so numerous as it was on the islands of the 

 Uvina, between Archangel and the mouth of the river. I found a nest containing newly hatched 

 young on the 28th June in a damp place in a bush surrounded by reeds. It was not on the 

 ground, but just above it amongst some bent-down reeds. I also met with fledged young near 

 Archangel on the 8th of July." Messrs. Alston and Harvie-Brown also speak of it as being very 

 common on the Lower Dvina, but apparently somewhat locally distributed. The latter gentleman 

 and Mr. Seebohm observed it on the Petchora, and write (Ibis, 1876, p. 116) as follows: — "We 

 obtained the first example of the Little Bunting on the 31st May ; and we found them afterwards 

 common all the way down the river. They even reach the willow-swamps of the delta around 

 Alexievka, where, however, they are decidedly rare. We never had any of their eggs brought in 

 by the Zyriani. The Little Bunting is fond of frequenting the mossy and marshy open hollows 

 in the forests around Habariki and elsewhere in search of insects in company with Wagtails 

 (Budytes viridis and Motacilla alba), Temminck's Stints, Fieldfares, Blue-throated Warblers, 

 and other species. They paired shortly after arrival, as we found them mated on the 10th 

 June." Mr. Sabanaeff does not include this Bunting in his list of the birds found in Central 

 Russia and the Ural ; but I found an immature specimen amongst some skins he sent me 

 obtained by himself in the Southern Ural. It has not been met with in Poland, and is 

 a very rare visitant to Germany; but Mr. Gatke obtains one or two examples on Heligoland 

 almost every season in September or October. It appears to have occurred in Holland more 



