RICE BUNTING. 
175 
this part of it, have little to plead in justification, but the plea- 
sure of destruction, or the savoury dish they furnish their tables 
with; for the oat harvest is generally secured before the great 
body of these birds arrive, the Indian corn too ripe and hard, 
and the reeds seem to engross all their attention. But in the 
states south of Maryland, the harvest of early wheat and barley 
in spring, and the numerous plantations of Rice in fall, suffer 
severely. Early in October, or as soon as the nights begin to 
set in cold, they disappear from Pennsylvania, directing their 
course to the south. At this time they swarm among the Rice 
fields; and appear in the island of Cuba in immense numbers, 
in search of the same delicious grain. About the middle of Oc- 
tober they visit the island of Jamaica in equal numbers, where 
they are called Butter-birds. They feed on the seed of the 
Guinea grass, and are also in high esteem there for the table.* 
Thus it appears, that the regions north of the fortieth degree 
of latitude are the breeding places of these birds; that their mi- 
grations northerly are performed from March to May, and their 
return southerly from August to November; their precise win- 
ter quarters, or farthest retreat southerly, is not exactly known. 
The Rice Bunting is seven inches and a half long, and eleven 
and a half in extent; his spring dress is as follows; upper part 
of the head, wings, tail and sides of the neck, and whole lower 
parts black; the feathers frequently skirted with brownish yel- 
low as he passes into the colours of the female; back of the head 
a cream colour; back black, seamed with brownish yellow; sca- 
pulars pure white, rump and tail coverts the same; lower part of 
the back bluish white; tail formed like those of the Wood- 
pecker genus, and often used in the same manner, being thrown 
in to support it- while ascending the stalks of the reed; this habit 
of throwing in the tail it retains even in the cage; legs a brown- 
ish flesh colour; hind heel very long; bill a bluish horn colour; 
eye hazel; see fig. 1. In the month of June this plumage gradu- 
ally changes to a brownish yellow, like that of the female, fig. 
2, which has the back streaked with brownish black; whole 
* Reniiel’s Hist. Jam. 
