E M B E 
fubjefls the neck is cinereous, the back cinereous varie-- 
gatecT with brown; a purple tinge round t lie eyes; a 
reddilh cart on the head, &c. The colour of the bill is 
alfo variable ; fometimes yellow, fometimes cinereous at 
the'bafe, and generally black at the point. In all, the 
noflrils are round, lomewhat prominent, and covered 
with (mail feathers ; the tongue is a little forked; the 
eyes are fmall'and bl-ack ; the legs black. Thefe birds 
leave the mountains when the fnovvs and frofts will not 
permit them to procure their food ; and they return in 
fpring to their icy fummits. Though they do not always 
hold the fame route, they are commonly feen in Sweden, 
in Saxony, in Lower Sirefia, in Poland, in Red Ruflia, 
and in Podolia. They are very rare in the fouth of Ger¬ 
many, and almofi entirely unknown in Svviflerland and 
Italy. In the time of their paffage they keep conffantly 
along the roads, picking up fmall feeds, and every fort 
of grain. This is the proper feafon for catching them. 
They are valued for the Angularity of their plumage, and 
the delicacy of their flefli. This bird is found in the 
northern parts of Great Britain, and is called in Scotland 
fnowfake, appearing in great flocks in the fnowy feafon, 
and luppofed to be the certain forerunner of hard weather. 
A few breed in the fame places with the ptarmigans. 
They are'found in all the northern latitudes, without 
exception, as far as our navigators have been able to 
penetrate ; even beyond Spitzbergen, upon remote fields 
of ice, and in large flocks: what can be found there for 
food, is difficult to determine, as they are grauivorous 
birds, and the only fpecies of the genus found in that 
frozen climate. In America they advance no farther to 
the fouth than Nova Scotia, never being found at New 
York. The more northward they are found, the whiter 
the plumage becomes. Thefe birds are of the fize of the 
chaffinch. They probably breed in Spitzbergen, and cer¬ 
tainly in Greenland, where they make their nefts in tire 
Allures of the mountain rocks, employing grafs for the 
outfide, feathers for the' inflde, and the down of the arftic 
fox for lining. They lay five white eggs fpotted with 
brown. They fing fweetly, fitting on the ground. In 
autumn, when they iflue from their frozen retreats, they 
gradually and fucceflively vifit all the northern parts of 
Europe. They enter Britain by the north of Scotland ; 
at firft they are lean, but foon grow, fat and delicious; 
the Highlands abound with them. They appear at Hud- 
fon’s-bay in April, retire northward in May to breed, 
and pay another vifit in September. They live in vaft 
flocks, feed on grafs, feeds, &c. and are eaflly caught. 
Their colour, being produced by the degree of cold to 
which they are expofed, is neceflarily variable. 
There are three other varieties of this fpecies : the firff 
lias the whole of the white parts tinged with yellow ; and 
the throat and fore part of the neck marked with very ' 
fmall brown fpots ; but agrees with the preceding in all 
other refpefts, In the fecond variety almofi the whole 
of the head, the upper part of the neck, back, rump, 
tail, and wing-coverts, are yellowifh white; round the 
bill, and all the under parts, blackifh. The other va¬ 
riety is called the pied bunting: the eye-lids are black, 
.the irides are white ; the head, throat, and neck, white; 
but at the lower part of the neck are three circles, the 
upper one of a lead-coloured blue, the next white, and 
the lowed blue: on the bread is a denticulated blueifli 
mark; wing-coverts and quills white, with a mixture of 
greenifh yellow in fome places, and black in others : 
the eight middle tail-feathers, white; the legs and claws 
fledf-colour. This variety was found in the county of 
Effex. 
a. Emberiza mudelina, the tawny bunting : a fize 
larger than the preceding ; length near feven inches: bill 
yellow, tip black ; crown of the head tawny ; throat al- 
moft white, changing to a dull yellow near the bread, 
.which, with the under parts, is white dallied with yel- 
lowifh marks ; the back and fcapular feathers are black, 
«dged with pale reddifh brown: rump, and upper tail- 
R I Z A. 49 1 
coverts, half white half yellow : the four middle tail- 
feathers are dufky black, fringed with white; the three 
outer ones on each dde white, marked with a dufky fpot 
on the outer web; but the third on both v.ebs at the tip. 
This fpecies is fometimes met with in the northern parts 
of England, but not often. 
3. Emberiza montana, the mountain bunting : bill 
fhort, and black at the tip, the red yellow; forehead 
dark chefnut; hind part of theTead and cheeks lighter; 
the back afh-coloured, lpotted with black ; the throat 
white; bread and belly waved with flame-colour; the 
fetting-on of the wings grey; the five fird feathers black- 
ifh brown, the reft white, the point of each dallied with 
brown; the three outer tail-feathers white, the red dark 
brown. This is fometimes found in Yorklhire and 
Northamptondiire. 
4. Emberiza hyemalis, the black bunting: bill white ; 
head, throat, neck, back, fcapulars, rump, and upper 
tail-coverts, black, inclining to lead-colour; from the 
bread to the vent white; quills and tail black: thofe in 
the Britidi and Leverian Mnfeums have the tip of the 
bill black; the fore part of the neck lead-coloured, and 
the two outer tail feathers with ferruginous margins. 
They vifit Virginia and Carolina in winter only, chiefly 
in fnowy weather; and are called the chuck bird. 
5. Emberiza hortulana, the ortolan : -this delicate bird 
is fmaller than the yellow-hammer; bill yellowifii ; head 
and neck cinereous olive; round the eyes yellowifii; 
throat the fame, bordered on each fide with a cinereous 
line ; back and fcapulars browmidi chefnut, mixed with 
black in the middle of the feathers, inclining mod to 
chefnut towards the rump; the under parts' very pale 
rufous ; wing-feathers brown, deeped in the middle; 
fome have rufous and others grey edges ; tail deep brown, 
with rufous edges, except the outer feather, which is 
edged with white, and the inner part of the next tipped' 
with white. The female differs in having the head and 
neck inclining to afli-colour, marked with fmall black 
lines down the fhaft of each feather; in other refpeiits 
like the male. Thefe birds are found in feveral parts of. 
Europe, but are not met with in England; they are com¬ 
mon in France and Italy, and in fome parts of Germany 
and Sweden, migrating from one to the other in fpring 
and autumn ; and in their paflage are caught in numbers,, 
and fatted for the table. This is done ealily, by inclofing 
the birds in a dark room, fetting before them plenty of 
oats and millet, with which they foon grow To fat, that 
they would die from that caufe alone, did not their feed¬ 
ers kill them in time, for the fake of emolument. Their 
flefli is faid to be one of the moll exquifite morfels yet 
known, being as it were a lump of rich fat; and the birds 
arrived at this ftate will often weigli three ounces each. 
They are very common in the fouth of Ruflia, and in Si¬ 
beria, as far as the river Ob; but they never go far to 
the north. This bird will fing, and has been kept for 
that purpofe. The note is not unlike that of our yellow- 
hammer, but finer and fvveeter. In fome parts it makes 
the tie ft in a low hedge ; in others,on the ground. It is 
carelefsly conftructed, not unlike that of the lark. The 
female lays four or five greyifh eggs, and in general has 
two broods in a year. It frequents oat-fields, of whigh 
it feems very fond, foon growing exceeding fat, and fuf- 
ficiently fo for tile table; but never reckoned fo delicious 
as when fattened artificially. 
There are four varieties of the ortolan: the firft is all 
over of a ftraw-colour, except the edge of the wing and 
the quills, which are white; the bill and legs reddifiu 
The fecond is wholly white, as pure as that ot the fwan. 
The third differs but little from the common fpecies,. 
except in the tail, which is almoft wholly white. In the 
fourth'variety the whole body is blackilh, except the 
head and heck, which incline to green ; the bill red;, 
the legs cineheous. Buffon alfo mentions a further va¬ 
riety, which had the throat yellow mixed with grey, a 
grey bread, and a rufous belly, 
1, 4 . Emberixa- 
