1122 Birds. 



which come from beyond sea, arrive in these months, and only pass 

 through. They reappear towards the end of September, but we do 

 not see many of them until the first white frosts, when the north-east 

 wind succeeds the rain, and continues until the approach of winter. 

 Those which then arrive pass the bad season with us. In January, 

 1 837, the ground being covered with snow throughout all the rest of 

 France, innumerable flocks of larks came to us from Languedoc, con- 

 trary to their habitual route, which is from east to west ; they were in 

 a famishing state, and devoured all the food they could find, fearing 

 nothing, and even killing and eating one another. 



Alauda nemoralis. Arrives in March and the beginning of April 

 and returns in September and October, like the preceding. Some in- 

 dividuals winter on our coasts. 



Short-toed Lark, Alauda brachydactyla. Arrives in April and re- 

 turns in September, rather earlier than the skylark ; during its pas- 

 sage it scarcely ever settles. None remain with us during the winter. 



Yellow Bunting, Emberiza citrinella. Arrives at the end of Fe- 

 bruary and March, begins to return about the end of October, and 

 continues leaving us until the winter. 



Cirl Bunting, Emberiza Cirlus. The same observations apply to 

 this as to the preceding species. 



Common Bunting, Emberiza Miliaria. Arrives at the end of 

 March, reappears on its passage at the end of September : many win- 

 ter here. 



Black-headed Bunting, Emberiza Scheeniclus. Arrives in March 

 and April, departs in October and November. 



Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana. Bruant Ortolan, {Temm.) 

 Arrives in April : the young birds return about the middle of August, 

 but the old ones remain until the middle of September. The capture 

 of this very common but very delicate species, is an object of consi- 

 derable importance in Provence. 



Emberiza cia. Appears in November. My observations respect- 

 ing this species are incomplete. 



Hawfinch, Coccothraustes vulgaris. Passes in April, when the seed 

 of the witch-elm, of which it is very fond, is ripe ; it repasses when 

 the olives ripen, at the end of October or November. Very few win- 

 ter here. 



Greenfinch, Fringilla chloris. Grosbec verdier, {Temm.) Arrives 

 in March and April, but not much seen: returns from the end of Sep- 

 tember until November. Some winter here. 



Fringilla petronia. La Soulcie, (Buffon). Arrives on its passage 

 at the end of February, repasses in large flocks from the 15th of Oc- 



