EUSPIZA LUTEOLA. 



Red-headed Bunting-. 



' 



Emberiza luteola, Sparrm. Mus. Carls., fasc. iv. tab. 93. 



Luteous Bunting, Lath. Gen. Syn., supp., vol. ii. p. 203.— Id. Gen. Hist., vol. iv. p. 333. 



Euspiza luteola, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 128. — Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 469, Eu- 



spiza, sp. 6. — Cab. Mus. Hein. Theil i. p. 130. — Horsf. & Moore, Cat. of Birds in Mus. East-Ind. Comp., 



vol. ii. p. 486 Jerd. Birds of Ind., vol. ii. part i. p. 378. 



Emberiza icterica, Evers. Add. Pall. Zoog. Rosso-Asiat., torn. ii. tab. 10.— Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiii 



p. 957. — Hutt. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xvi. p. 779. 

 Euspiza icterica, Gray & Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 376, pi. 91. 

 Emberiza brunniceps, Brandt, Bull, de l'Acad. Imp. de St. Petersb. 



personata, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng., vol. xiv. p. 555. 



Loxiajlavicans, var. A, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. v. p. 243. 

 Gandam, Hindoos of Central India. 

 Dalchidi of the Scindians. 

 Pacha jinmoayi of the Telugus. 





This bird very closely assimilates in form and structure to the Black-headed Bunting (Euspiza melano- 

 cephald) — but not in the colouring of the head and throat, those parts being rich rusty red, instead of the 

 former being black and the latter yellow ; it is also somewhat smaller in size. Like its Black-headed ally, it 

 is an inhabitant of the western portion of India, but is far less common. Although not a native of 

 Asia Minor or Europe, it, according to the St. -Petersburg naturalists, ranges far to the north and north- 

 eastward of Afghanistan, being one of the birds described by Eversmann in Pallas's ' Zoographia Rosso- 

 Asiatica,' above referred to. I may state that I have compared Siberian specimens (sent to me by 

 Dr. Hartlaub, of Bremen) with Indian examples forwarded by Capt. Burgess from the Deccan, and find 

 they do not differ in any respect. With regard to the sexes, precisely the same variation occurs as in 

 Euspiza melanocephala ; the females of the two species, therefore, are very similar. 



Of the habits and economy, as well as of the other parts of its history, but little has been recorded. 



" The Red-headed Bunting," says Mr. Jerdon, " is locally distributed over various parts of India. 

 Beginning from the south, I have seen it rarely in Coimbatore, in Mysore, Cuddapah, and the edges of the 

 Eastern Ghats. Mr. Elliott obtained it in abundance at Dharwar; I saw it near Nagpore, and tolerably 

 numerous at Mhow and Saugor; but I never obtained it nor saw it, that I am aware of, among the 

 thousands of Euspiza melanocephala that yearly visit the cornfields about Jalna. Mr. Blyth has received it 

 from Central India and from the Upper Provinces ; and it also occurs in Scinde and the Punjab during the 

 harvest season, but never in the Himalayas. Out of India, it has been found in Afghanistan and other 

 parts of Central Asia, but not in Western Asia nor in Europe. Like E. melanocephala, it is only a cold- 

 weather visitant to India, but does not, in general, appear in such vast numbers as that species does in the 

 Deccan ; yet I have observed considerable flocks near Saugor, and seen them mated there. It prefers cul- 

 tivated land, near to bush jungle, into which it can retreat during the middle of the day ; it is also 

 frequently seen about hedges. 



" It appears to breed in Afghanistan ; for Hutton says it arrives at Candahar in the beginning of April, 

 and departs in autumn. Adams states that it has a sweet and melodious song ; but Griffiths says ' the 

 chirp of this bird is like that of the common Quail.' " 



In the MS. notes kindly given to me by the late Major Boys, I find a record of his having shot examples 

 of this species at Sultanpore, Ghazepore, and on the road to Shakapore, in Scinde, and also at Ferozepore, 

 on the 30th of August, 1846. 



The male has the head, neck, and breast rich orange-chestnut ; back and scapularies greenish yellow, with 

 a stripe of dark brown down the centre of each feather; rump and upper tail-coverts deep yellow; wings and 

 tail brown ; the wing-coverts broadly, and the primaries and tail-feathers narrowly, edged with very pale 

 brown ; sides of the neck and all the under surface rich yellow ; bill light fleshy yellow ; irides and legs 



brown. 



The female is pale brown above, striated on the head with darker brawn, has a wash of rufous on the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts, all the under surface pale huffy yellow, and the wings and tail as in the male. 



The Plate represents the two sexes, of the size of life, on a flowering branch of the wild crab tree. 



