ME A D OW B U N T IN G.
Emberiza cia, L inn.
Le Bruant fou, ou de pré.
This species of Bunting, although common in the meadows bordering the Rhine, as well as la the southern'
parts of France, M y , Spam, and adjoining the Mediterranean, does not appear to be distributed in the North
Tabitat 80 ma”y C00geners' HoBand nor E"gla"d among the places o f its
The nearesMlied species among onr native Buntings is the Reed Bunting (Emieriua schoemculue, Linn )
which it resembles, not only ,n its general habits and manners, but in the peculiar character of its markings’
particularly about the head, and in the feebleness of the beak. The nearest extra-British species 4 . alliance
with it is the ¿M em o leelia : and it would appear that with both of these birds in certain stages ofplumage it
has been confounded ; and not with these only, as will appear from the following translation of a note which we
have taken the liberty of extracting from M. Temminck’s ManuelSOrnithologie. “ Besides the double use
which Buffon makes of this species m describing it under the name of Foolish Bunting, and Lorraine B,inline
he commits a second error in giving his description and Ortulan de neige, pl. 511. fig. 2 as the female of
the Ortolan de Lorraine The German authors are equally in error in enumerating under the synonym o f Le
Bruant fm the birds described and figured by Buffon under the names of 6 W and Mitiline de Proeence ■
these form two distinct species. The French naturalists place the Emberiza pa,serina of Gmelia, Suet i?>
p . 871. sp. 27 m the synonym of Le Bruant fou, while the description o f Gmelln ponrtrays very exactly an
old female of Le Bruant des roseaux.”
The Entérina d a offers in its sober tints a harmony o f colouis which renders it for from being the least
pleasing of its genus. The food o f this bird, as its feeble bill indicates, consists of the small seeds o f farina
ceous plants, such as millet, canary, &c„ as well as insects of various species ; in feet, as above stated its
manners and actions are m close unison with our well-known Reed Bunting. It constructs a nest in bushes
and tufts o f herbage, and not ».frequently on the ground : the eggs are five in number, of a whitish colour
marked with a few lines of black.
The whole of the head and breast is ash coloured ; three stripes o f black occupy the fece on each side one
passing above the eye, one through the eye to the occiput, and one encircles the lower part of the face from
the angle o f the beak ; a greyish white stripe passes above the eye, bordered by the two lines of black • the
whole o f the upper surface Is of a rufous brown, each feather having a dusky mark down the centre ■ the
feathers o f the shoulders are edged with light gre, ; the primaries brown ; the three outer tail-feathers white
the remainder brown edged with reddish ; the whole of the under surface pale rufous.
The female is destitute of the beautiful grey which ornaments the head and chest o f the male, as well as
the jet black lines, which are only feintly indicated on the cheeks ; the head and chest are pale greyish
brown ; the throat dotted with dusky spots ; the rest of the plumage resembles the male, except that it is
more obscure.
The Plate represents a male and female o f the natural size.