YELLOW BUNTING. 58 



general ; but we possess a set of a pale purple tint, alike in 

 appearance, of which one is of the usual size, and the two 

 others, although perfect in form and markings, are scarcely 

 larger than the eggs of the golden-crested wren, measuring 

 only four lines by three and a half ; the usual size is about 

 nine lines in length and seven in diameter. 



This bird is truly an inhabitant of the country, seldom ap- 

 proaching towns, or even villages ; at the same time, it is not 

 shy, but may be seen on every hedge by any passing traveller. 

 In flight, it exhibits the black and white side-feathers of its 

 tail and the rufous upper-coverts to great advantage. 



Yellow Buntings live in pairs during the spring and sum- 

 mer, but in autumn and winter associate in flocks. On the 

 subject of their food, much information may be derived from 

 the " Notes on Birds injurious to Agriculture, 1 ' &c, by Mr. 

 Hepburn, of Whittingham, East Lothian, who says of these 

 Buntings, " Like our other granivorous birds, they associate 

 in flocks to search the stubbles, and, when these fail, they 

 adjourn to the homestead, helping themselves to grain and 

 seeds wherever they can be found. At oat-seed time, they 

 may again be seen in the fields, and, along with other birds, 

 claim the uncovered grains as their lawful prize. Even after 

 they have dispersed to their several breeding-places, many 

 individuals may still be seen daily, feeding on grain and small 

 seeds, but, at this season, they chiefly subsist on insects, 

 particularly Coleoptera ; their young ones are largely sup- 

 plied with crane-flies (Tipulida). When assembled in con- 

 siderable bands, before the commencement of harvest, they 

 often injure fields of oats and wheat, to a considerable extent, 

 confining their depredations to the immediate neighbourhood 

 of the hedgerow. In reference to their winter depredations 

 on stacks, Mr. Wood, in his " British Song-Birds," says, 

 " The Yellow Buntings can obtain the object of their search 

 from the very heart of the stack, by pulling out the long 



