50 
MEADOW DENTING. 
prefers high meadows, where it is found among the 
short bushes in the neighbourhood of vineyards. It 
does not often build on the lihine. Its nest is placed 
among the crevices of the artificial fences which sur- 
round the mountain vineyards, and generally contains 
four eggs, which have a grey whitish ground; shewing 
through it, brown, black, and grey lines, which often 
form a zone round the middle of the egg. These 
lines are connected together and form peculiar markings, 
by which they can be readily distinguished from any of 
the varieties of the Yellowhammer. Rarely they are 
marked with points, or round spots placed solitarily. 
They breed tAvice. The young birds are similar to 
those of the Yellowhammer, and, like them, are fre- 
quently bred in confinement.” 
Savi says it is doubtful if they breed in Tuscany, 
but they do so freely in the ultramontane countries. 
Their nest, Avhich is placed in low bushes, is made of 
moss externally, and with root filaments and wool in- 
ternally. Eggs four or five, with irregular zigzag lines 
and spots of black or dark violet-colour. 
Count Miihle’s description, in his ^''Grecian Orni- 
thology,” of the habits and plumage of E. da, is 
evidently taken from another species. He himself sug- 
gests the E. fucata of Pallas, with Avhich his description 
to a certain extent agrees. He says the bird Avhich 
he describes as E. da is ‘bieither confiding nor stupid, 
but shy, and knoAVs hoAV to escape the ambush of the 
hunter very skilfully. It flies up quickly, and rims 
along the goat-paths as quichly as a Lark” This 
certainly is not the habit of the Foolish Bunting. 
Moreover, he remarks, “the first primary is quite as 
long as the fifth, and much longer than the sixth;” 
which measurements are quite different from those of 
