THE YELLOW-BREASTED BUNTING. 

 Emberiza aureola^ Pallas. 

 Plate i8. 



Three examples of this brilliantly coloured wanderer to Europe have been 

 obtained in England, all having been shot in Norfolk: the first on September 21, 

 1905, at Cley ; the second on September 5, 1907, near Wells ; and the last on 

 September 4, 1913, again at Cley. 



The breeding range of this bird stretches from northern Russia right across 

 Siberia as far as Kamchatka, whilst in winter it migrates as far to the south as 

 the Malay Peninsula. 



According to Mr. Dresser [Manual of Palcearctic Birds, p. 349), it "fre- 

 quents bush-covered plains on the outskirts of the forests, willow-thickets in damp 

 places, and occurs in the mountains to an altitude of 5000 to 6000 feet, and in the 

 winter frequents reed- and rush-beds. 



" Its song, which is short but pleasant, is uttered from the top of a bush or a 

 plant-stem, and it is said to be a most industrious songster." 



The nest, built either on the ground or in some shrub, is composed of dead 

 grasses and roots, with a lining of hair. The four or five eggs are grey tinged 

 with green, obscurely shaded with a darker tint, and marked with a few indefinite 

 brown scratchy lines. 



The female has none of the rich black and chestnut on the head which distin- 

 guish the male. 



The upper parts of the bird are greenish-brown, with dark stripes on the back, 

 whilst the lower portions are pale yellow, streaked on the flanks. 

 She has also a broad yellowish-white eye-stripe. 



