50 MEADOW BUNTING. 



prefers high meadows, where it is found among the 

 short bushes in the neighbourhood of vineyards. It 

 does not often build on the Rhine. 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, broAvn, 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 twice. 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, which 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. cia, is 

 evidently taken from another species. He himself sug- 

 gests the E. fucata of Pallas, with which his description 

 to a certain extent agrees. He says the bird which 

 he describes as E. cia is "neither confiding nor stupid, 

 bat shy, and knows how to escape the ambush of the 

 hunter very skilfully. It flies up quickly, and runs 

 along the goat-paths as quickly 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 



