82 Order I 



or reddish brown are familiar to us all. In most other 

 respects it resembles the Corn-Bunting, that is in flight, 

 food, choice of perch, nest, and sociabihty. It breeds, 

 however, several times in a season and often builds 

 its nest in young trees or bushes. Northwards it is 

 much less common than its congener and abroad hardly 

 extends southwards beyond the Pyrenees and the Alps. 

 The female is much browner. 



The rarer and more retiring Cirl Bunting {Emberiza 

 cirlus) of central and southern Europe and north-west 

 Africa is also a resident in southern England, but 

 has not been proved to breed north of Yorkshire and 

 rarely does so in north Wales. It may almost be called 

 abundant, however, in parts of Hampshire and Devon- 

 shire. If a clear view is obtained, the male is easily 

 distinguishable from the Yellowhammer by its black 

 throat, lores and ear-coverts, and much less yellow 

 head and lower parts. The female is almost brown 

 above with a buff instead of a black throat. The song 

 is like the first part of that of the Yellowhammer, but 

 has not the concluding phrase ; the flight and nest are 

 similar, but the eggs have a somewhat blue ground- 

 colour and more spots than scrawls. The site chosen is 

 usually in some dry sunny locahty near houses, especially 

 on chalk downs or west-country "combes," and the 

 actual place most commonly a low bush. 



It is rather unfortunate that we have been obUged 

 to transfer the popular name of Black-headed Bunting 

 from Emberiza schosniclus to a foreign species, nor does 

 the decision seem absolutely necessary ; but it is useless 

 now to complain, and fortunately we have a good 

 alternative in "Reed Bunting." The black head and 

 breast, white collar and belly, and mainly red-brown 



