MEADOW BUNTING. 51 



E. cia, as will be seen by reference to my specific 

 diagnosis of that bird. 



Naumann concludes his account of the Meadow 

 Bunting thus:— "The Zipammer, from its confiding 

 nature is easily shot. They may be drawn in flocks 

 by the Yellowhammer, as a decoy, and thus be cap- 

 tured in great numbers, so that in France they have 

 received the name of Fool. They are very good eating; 

 they rejoice us with their song, destroy pernicious 

 insects, and do no damage." 



The adult male in its breeding plumage has the 

 head and neck bluish grey, with two black bands 

 along the sides of the vertex, and two other narrower 

 bands of the same colour, one of which passes through 

 the line of the eye, and the other forming a moustache; 

 these lines unite in the parotid region. The upper 

 parts are bright russet, varied by longitudinal black 

 stria?; rump chesnut red; the throat is white; neck 

 and chest delicate bluish grey; the rest of the under 

 parts are russet red, brighter on the sides of the chest 

 and flanks. Wings marked with two narrow whitish 

 bands; wing coverts colour of the back; primaries 

 blackish, bordered with russet; tail black, with the 

 middle feathers bordered with russet, and the two 

 most external marked with a large white patch on the 

 internal webs. Beak blackish above, grey below; feet 

 and iris brown. 



The female has the head, nape of the neck, and 

 body varied with russet and black; rump and under 

 tail coverts bright russet; inferior parts russet red, 

 with the throat whitish; front of the neck and chest 

 shaded with dull grey, and spotted with brown; flanks 

 of a deeper russet, and more or less spotted with 

 russet brown. 



