THE BUNTINGS. 
73 
Eggs. — Four to six in number. Ground-colour pinkish or 
greyish stone-colour, the underlying markings being grey and 
the overlying spots purplish-black. W riting lines are sometimes 
present, but never so strongly marked as in the eggs of the Yel- 
low and Cirl Buntings. Axis, 0-75-0-8 ; diam., 0-55-0-65. 
THE CORN-BUNTINGS. GENUS MILIARIA. 
Miliaria , Brehm., Isis, 1828, p. 1278. 
Type, M. miliaria (Linn.). 
While the other Buntings are remarkable for somewhat 
variegated plumage, especially with respect to the tail-fea- 
thers, which generally have a patch of white on the outer 
ones, very conspicuous when the bird is flying, in the genus 
Miliaria the wing is shorter than the tail, and the inner 
secondaries are lengthened and nearly equal to the primary 
quills, like the wings if Larks and Wagtails. There is no 
white pattern on the tail. Only one species of Miliaria is 
known, the Corn-Bunting, which is singularly like a Lark in 
plumage. 
THE CORN-BUNTING. MILIARIA MILIARIA. 
Ember ha miliaria , Linn., S. N., i., p. 308 (1766); Macg., Br. 
B., i., p. 440 (1837); Dresser, B. Eur., iv., p. 163, pi. 
208 (1871); Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 38 (1876) ; B. O. U. 
List Br. B., p. 59 (1883); Seeb., Br. B., ii., p. 148 (1884); 
Saunders, Man., p. 199 (1889); Lill'ord, Col. Fig. Brit. B., 
pt. v. (1887); Wyatt, Hr. B., pi. 17 (1894). 
Miliaria miliaria , Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xii. p. 552 (1888). 
Adult Male.— Above brown, with black centres to the feathers, 
less distinct on the lower back and rump ; wing-coverts brown, 
with sandy-buff edges, whiter on the margins; head like the 
back, and similarly streaked ; sides of neck ashy-white, streaked 
with black ; tail-feathers brown, with a shade of ashy-white 
near the end of the inner web ; cheeks and throat dull white, 
with a moustachial line of black spots ; under surface of body 
dull white, with some triangular spots of black on the throat, 
more distinct on the fore-neck and breast, which are tinged 
with rufous-buff ; sides of body browner and streaked with 
black ; bill horn-brown, tinged with rufous, the lower mandible 
yellow ; feet pale fleshy-brown ; iris dark brown. Total length, 
7-5 inches ; culmen, o'6 ; wing, 3-85 ; tail, 2-75 ; tarsus, 0-95. 
