THE YELLOW BUNTING. 107 
distributed throughout the greater part of Europe, breeding in Scandinavia as far 
north as lat. 70°, and in the valley of the Ob, in Siberia, up to lat. 64°. To 
the more northern portions of its range it is only a summer visitor, and it only 
visits the more southern portions in the winter, but in the temperate regions it 
is resident; in winter it occurs southwards through Turkey into N.W. Persia 
and Turkestan. Although almost unknown in S.W. Spain, it is said to be resident 
in Teneriffe. 
Throughout Great Britain this species is abundant and generally distributed, 
breeding everywhere excepting, perhaps, in the Shetlands. 
The male Yellow Bunting in breeding plumage appears to vary considerably 
in beauty of plumage, the birds of Mid-Kent appearing almost like a distinct 
species from those of North-west Kent, owing to the much greater development 
of yellow on the head. The crown and nape bright Canary-yellow, with an olive- 
brown streak across the forehead and bounding the sides of the crown ;* or lemon 
yellow much more streaked with olive-brown; remainder of upper parts chestnut, 
the feathers of the mantle and back with strongly marked black longitudinal 
streaks; wing-coverts and inner secondaries dark smoky brown, bordered with 
chestnut; remaining secondaries and primaries sooty blackish, with more or less 
yellow margins to the outer webs and slightly ashy tips; two central tail feathers 
dark smoky brown, with pale cinnamon brownish borders; remaining feathers 
sooty blackish, with very narrow yellowish edging to the outer web; the two outer 
feathers with large snow white wedge-shaped patches on the inner web; under 
parts lemon yellow, an olive-brown streak partly bounding the ear-coverts; breast 
and flanks slightly washed with olive and streaked with olive-brown; beak dark 
horn-brown on the culmen, becoming more leaden at the sides, lower mandible 
much paler, especially along the edge and just in front of the chin; feet pale 
flesh-brown; iris hazel. The female is much less yellow than the male (excepting 
in pairs netted in West Kent which, even in breeding plumage, differ compara- 
tively little) the yellow on the crown represented by irregular mottling; the 
chestnut of the upper parts much less pronounced, excepting on the rump and 
upper tail-coverts; whilst the olive-brown streaking of the under parts is more 
defined. After the autumn moult the feathers of the head have dark tips and the 
other feathers of the upper parts somewhat ashy margins; all of which are said 
to be shed in the spring. The young nearly resemble females in winter plumage. 
I have repeatedly tried to get hold of Yellow Hammers in brilliant plumage; 
but, living on the borders of North-west Kent, I find that the catchers invariably 
* Mr. Frohawk has shown me a wonderful specimen in which there are no streaks on head or neck, and 
the wings are varied with white.—-A.G.B. 
