54 RUSTIC B VOTING. 



There has been some confusion among the synonymes 

 of this bird. Bonaparte has made three species, namely, 

 — E. rustica, Pallas, E. lesbia, Gmelin, and E. provin- 

 cialis, Gmelin. Schlegel makes only two of the three, 

 namely, — E. rustica and E. fucata, including among the 

 synonymes of the latter, both E. lesbia and E. provin- 

 cialis, and in a note, page 83, he remarks, — "This 

 pretty species differs from E. rustica, by the beak, 

 which is more curved, and the feet, which are more 

 robust: the beak of E. rustica is straight and awl- 

 shaped, absolutely like that of E. pusilla. In winter, 

 and when they are young, E. fucata and E. rustica 

 resemble each other very much in the plumage." Gould 

 figures E. lesbia and E. rustica. Temminck describes 

 E. rustica, but he also introduces E. lesbia as the 

 Mitilene de Provence of Buffon, and E. provincialis as 

 the Bruant Gavoue of Buffon. Degland follows Schlegel. 



It appears that amidst all this confusion there are 

 two species as described by Schlegel, namely, E. 

 rustica and E. fucata, but that there is really no au- 

 thority for the introduction of the latter bird into the 

 European list. To clear up the matter, I placed 

 myself in communication with the best ornithologists in 

 Europe, and I will here insert at length a letter with 

 which I have been kindly favoured by Professor Blasius, 

 of Brunswick, whose great knowledge of European birds 

 gives a high value to his opinion upon the subject. 



"Brunswick, Jan. 12th., 1861. 



"Sir, — It seems to me that confusion among the 

 species of the genus Emberiza is greater than in any 

 other family of Passerines. The distinct species which 

 are known to me as European, are as follow : — • 



1. — Emberiza striolata, Lichtenstein. In Africa, ac- 



