98 
Breedina ihe Mcxica?t Bunting. 
cribed as similar to our iadig-enous Yellow -Hammer (Yellow 
Bim'trngj, but quieter in cofour, the yeflow areas of the face 
and throat not so extensive, but of a rich orang-c hue. I 
g-ivo a more detailed description below. 
Length of bird about six and a half inches, typical Imnt- 
ing shape. Male: Beak almost black, irides dark lirown, fore- 
head bronze -yellow, which does not extend beyond the eyes, 
forming a kind of blaze, but continues down the throat to 
the upper part of chest; neck, back, and wings, brown- 
ish grey ; breast dirty grey streaked and mottled with dark 
brown down to the vent and under tail coverts. 
Female: Not so bright as the male, the head being 
without the blaze and of a brownish grey, wnile the chin and 
throat are of a dirty grey streaked with dark brown, in 
fact almost black. The breast is more thickly speckled down 
to the vent, and under tail coverts. 
The above pair of birds commenced nesting operations 
hi a bundle of sticks, hanging from the wall of the 
aviary about six feet from the ground. The nest 
Avas cup -shaped when complete; composed of dried 
grass and lined with moss and feathers. Eggs, dull 
greyish white in colour, streaked, speckled and blotched, with 
dai'k reddish -brown. The eggs appeared to vary very much 
as regards ground colour and markings. There Avere four 
eggs in all; after laying the fourth egg the hen began to sit 
very closely. During the period of incubation, which lasted 
about fourteen days, the hen was devotedly watched and fed 
by her mate, who kept a strict guard over the nest and 
acted in a most malicious manner to any other occupants of 
the aviary that flew or perched near. On May 24th (1911) 
four young birds were hatched and were fed, most diligently, 
by both parents, upon fresh ants' eggs and a few mealworms 
that were given occasionally, while at the same time they had 
free access to the soft food saucer and crushed hemp, canary 
and white and spray millet seeds. At four weeks the young 
birds were fully fledged, their plumage was brownish-grey. 
When about six weeks old they were well able to look after 
\iieji>se]ve,s and seemed then to subsist principally upon mil- 
let, canary, and crushed hemp. By this time the parent birds 
had recommenced nesting operations, but this time outside, 
