132 PASSERES. 



It breeds in great abundance on Fuji-yama, making a nest on or 

 near tbe ground of dried grass and leaves, lined with fine rootlets 

 (Jouy, Proc. United States Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 298). Eggs in the 

 Pryer collection closely resemble those of Emberiza cia and those of 

 Emberiza cioides, being scrawled all over the larger end with fine 

 hair-Hke streaks. 



Bonaparte's Japanese Bunting is an island form of Brandt's 

 Bunting, Emberiza cioides, and is possibly only subspecifically distinct 

 from it. The adult male differs from that of its continental ally in 

 having the ear-coverts nearly black instead of russet-brown. The 

 female only differs from that of the continental species in having the 

 throat and under tail-coverts more suffused with buff. Intermediate 

 forms occur in Japan, but these may possibly be immature examples. 



Brandt's Bunting is a resident in Eastern Siberia, and is the eastern 

 representative of the Meadow-Bunting, Emberiza cia, a perfectly 

 distinct species which ranges from Spain across Europe and Southern 

 Siberia as far east as Lake Saissau, whence I have an example col- 

 lected by General Prjevalski. 



111. EMBEEIZA YESSOENSIS. 



(SWINHOE'S JAPANESE BUNTING.) 



Schoenicola yessoensis, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1874, p. 161. 



Swinhoe's Japanese Bunting combines two characters, rump and 

 upper tail-coverts uniform chestnut-buff and no trace of yellow on the 

 underparts. None of the other Buntings which are known to occur 

 in Japan possess both these characters except E. ciopsis, E. fucata, 

 and E. rustica. From the males of these three species and from 

 both sexes of the last mentioned, the entire absence of white on the 

 throat is a sufficient distinction. From the females of the two first- 

 mentioned species the fact that the nape is scarcely streaked (in 

 marked contrast to the conspicuously streaked crown) is a good 

 distinction. 



Figures : Seebohm, Ibis, 1879, pi. 1. fig. 2. 



Swinhoe's Japanese Bunting is peculiar to Japan, and cannot be a 

 very rare bird, as, in addition to the type in the Swinhoe collection 

 obtained by Captain Blakiston near Hakodadi, there are eleven 

 examples in the Pryer collection from the neighbourhood of Yoko- 

 hama. Two other examples from Yezzo are in the Blakiston collec- 



