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mountain-slopes where there are scattered bushes, and bushes in cultivated localities, and is 

 everywhere resident, but during severe winters it moves a little further south, returning in the 

 spring early in April. In Mongolia, Col. Prjevalski writes (Orn. Misc. ii. p. 308), it is to be 

 found " in the bushes on the mountains, avoiding large woods, and therefore we found it only 

 on the slopes of the Muni-ul Mountains "; and in China, according to Styan (Ibis, 1891, p. 354), 

 it affects " the hilly country, though it is found in less numbers on the plains. It is found on 

 the more open parts of the wooded ranges, and is one of the few birds which frequent the 

 absolutely bare (except for grass) hills so common in China." 



Godlewski, who found it breeding in Eastern Siberia, says that " early in May it commences 

 to build its nest, which is placed on the ground at the foot of a bush, carefully hidden, or some- 

 times on a bush, though never above half a metre from the ground. About the middle of May 

 the female commences incubation, the eggs being four to six in number, and is very attentive to 

 her incubatory duties ; the male keeps watch, singing, perched on a distant bush, and gives an 

 alarm-signal when the least danger threatens, on which the female slips off on foot and joins the 

 male without one being able to see from whence she comes, and feigns utter indifference — 

 consequently the nest is difficult to find ; but when the eggs are incubated she sits close, and does 

 not leave the nest until nearly trodden on. 



" The song of the male is agreeable, though short. After leaving the nest the young birds 

 remain in the same vicinity with their parents." 



Dybowski states (J. f. O. 1873, p. 87) that "it commences nidification in the latter half of 

 March, building its nest in a depression below a bush, generally a wild apricot. The nest is 

 smaller than that of E. leucocepliala, constructed of dried grass-bents, the inside being of smaller 

 and finer ones, and lined with horse- or cattle-hair, but not closely lined, and it is a strong but 

 not stout structure ; outer diameter 115 millim., height 45, inner diameter 65, depth 25. The 

 clutch usually consists of four, seldom five eggs, resembling those of E. cia, and they are the 

 handsomest eggs we have here. The ground-colour is white with a violet tinge, on the larger 

 end surrounded with a beautifully drawn wreath of fine dark brown irregular lines, the rest 

 of the egg being unmarked or marked with a few indistinct lines ; some of these lines are in 

 places widened so as to form a thick dark patch. Some eggs resemble those of E. hortulana in 

 markings, being marked, like those, with thick spots and short streaks without having a distinct 

 wreath. There are always a few ash-grey indistinct spots and streaks on these eggs. The eggs 

 from different clutches measure: 22-15-5 millim., 22-16, 21-15-5, 20-15-5, 20-16, 19-16-5. 



" In the middle of June we found newly hatched young or much incubated eggs. The song 

 of the male is very melodious, but interrupted as with the other Buntings, and it sings from a 

 bough near the nest. When anyone approaches it warns the female by an alarm-note, and the 

 latter slips off the nest, but does not take wing for some distance ; and this combined with the 

 difficulty in climbing about the steep precipices makes it difficult to find the nest." 



In Mongolia Col. Prjevalski took several nests built of dry grass, on the ground, in the 

 bushes. Each contained four fresh eggs, of a dull white, with a band of black zigzag marks at 

 the larger end, and sometimes with some large black spots. 



Eggs in my collection, obtained from Dr. Dybowski, agree closely with his description as 

 above cited. 



