BUNTING. 307 



Reed Bunting, Gen. Syn. iii. 173. Id. Sup. 157. Br. Zool. No. 120. Id.fol. 112. t. 

 W. Id. 1812. i. p. 440. Arct. Zool. ii. 368. E. Collins, Birds, pi. 1. f. 5. 6. Alb. 

 ii. pi. 51. Id. Song Birds, pi. p. 86. Hayes's Br. Birds, pi. 35. Bewick, Birds, 

 i. pi. p. 145. Graves's Br. Orn. iii. pi. 17. Lewin's Birds, ii. pi. 75. Walcofs 

 Birds, ii. t. 214. Ow. Dicf. iVaf. M»c. pi. 219. Bolton's Birds, i. pi. 19. 20. 



SIZE of the Yellow Bunting ; length near six inches. Bill and 

 legs brown ; irides hazel ; head, throat, fore part of the neck and 

 breast black ; on each side of the neck a pale streak, which passes 

 backwards, encircling the hind part of the neck, as a ring; the 

 upper parts of the body and wings brownish red, with a streak of 

 black down the shafts of the feathers ; lower part of the breast and 

 belly white, streaked with dusky on the sides ; the eight middle tail 

 feathers black, the two middle ones edged on both sides with rufous ; 

 the others only so on the outer margins ; the last but one white ; 

 except from the base to the middle of the inner web, which is black, 

 and the shaft wholly black ; the outer one is also white, except at 

 the base and tip, where it is dusky ; all of them sharpish at the 

 ends. It is called by some the Reed Sparrow, and Water Sparrow. 



In young males the black on the head is mixed with brown, and 

 the ring less conspicuous, not being complete till the following 

 spring ; nor do the old males retain the full black throughout the 

 year, for towards winter the head changes to hoary, and on the return 

 of spring resumes its pristine jettiness. 



The female has the head and neck the same as the upper parts, 

 otherwise like the male. It has been supposed, that this bird fas- 

 tens the nest between four reeds, two or three feet above the water, 

 but it is most commonly placed on the ground, near the water; 

 sometimes in a bush, at some height from the ground ; at other times 

 in high grass, reeds, sedge, &c. and even in furze, at a considerable 

 distance from any water; it is composed of stalks of grass, or other 

 dry vegetable substance, sometimes moss, and lined with fine grass, 

 or long hair; the eggs four or five in number, and weighing each 

 36 grains; colour dirty bluish white, marked with irregular dark- 



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