Genus XXXVI. EMBERIZA. BUNTING. 
Species I. E. AMERICANA. 
BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 
[Plate III. Fig. 2.] 
Calandra pralensis, (he May Bird, Bartram, p. 291. — Arct. Zool. 228. — EmLcriza 
Americana, Lid. Oru. p. 411, 42.* 
Of this bird I have but little to say. They arrive in Pennsylvania, 
from the south, about the middle of May; abound in the neighborhood 
of Philadelphia; and seem to prefer level fields, covered with ryegrass, 
timothy, or clover, where they build their nest, fixing it in the ground, 
and forming it of fine dried grass. The female lays five white ego\s, 
sprinkled with specks and lines of black. Like most part of their 
genus, they are nowise celebrated for musical powers. Their whole 
song consists of five notes, or, more properly, of two notes; the first 
repeated twice and slowly, the second thrice, and rapidly, resembling 
chip, chip, che che cite. Of this ditty, such as it is, they are by no 
means parsimonious, for, from their first arrival, for the space of two 
or three months, every level field of grain or grass is perpetually 
serenaded with chip, chip, che che che. In their shape and manners 
they very much resemble the Yellow-IIammer of Britain (E. citrinetta) ; 
like them they are fond of mounting to the top of some half-grown tree, 
and there chirrupping for half an hour at a time. In travelling throuo-h 
different parts of New York and Pennsylvania, in spring and summer, 
wherever I came to level fields of deep grass, I have constantly heard 
these birds around me. In August they become mute, and soon after, 
that is, towards the beginning of September, leave us altogether. 
The Black-throated Bunting is six inches and a half in length ; the 
upper part of the head is of a dusky greenish yellow ; neck dark ash; 
breast, inside shoulders of the wing, line over the eye and at the lower 
angle of the bill yellow; chin, and space between the bill and eye 
white; throat covered with a broad, oblong, somewhat heart-shaped 
patch of black, bordered on each side with white ; back, rump and tail 
ferruginous, the first streaked with black ; wings deep dusky, edged 
with a light clay color ; lesser coverts and whole shoulder of the wing 
* We add the following synonymes: — Eniberiza Americana, G.mel. Syst. 1, p. 
872.— Lath. Sijii. 2, p. 197, pi. 44. Flint/ilia Jiaiicullis, Gmel. Sysl. i , 920. 
(62) 
