YELLOW-BUNTING, OR YELLOW - AMMER . — JEhnbenza citrinella . 
The Buntings are known by their sharp conical bills, with the edges of the 
upper mandible rounded and slightly turned inwards, and the knob on the 
palate. They are common in most parts of the world, are sociable during the 
winter months, and, in some cases, become so fat upon the autumn grain, that 
they are considered great dainties. 
One of the most familiar 1 of all these birds is the Yellow-Bunting, or Yellow- 
Ammer, as it is often called. 
This lively bird frequents our fields and hedgerows, and is remarkable for a 
curious mixture of wariness and curiosity, the latter feeling impelling it to 
observe a traveller with great attention, and the former to keep out of reach of 
any missile. So, in walking along a country lane, the passenger is often pre- 
ceded by one or more of these birds, which always keeps about seventy or eighty 
yards in advance, and flutters in and out of the hedges or trees with a peculiar 
and unmistakeable flirt of the wings and tail. 
In rustic parlance, a “ rough gripe 53 is the place wherein to look for the 
Yellow- Ammer’s nest. It is a neatly built edifice, composed chiefly of grasses, 
and lined with h^ir. 
The colour of the Yellow-Ammer is bright yellow mottled with brown and 
black. 
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