JOouM'&ECl&diUr, del eU Wp.
C B I T H O P H A & A M I L I A R I A .
CRITHOPHAGA MILIARIA.
Common Bunting*.
Emberiza miliaria, Linn. Syst. Na t., tom. i. p. 3Q8.
calandra, Linn. Faun. Sttec., p. 83.
Miliaria septentrionalis, Brehm. V&g. peutscbl-. p. 291 - JjL
------------ germaniea, Brehm, ib-, p . 292.
— peregrina, Brehm, ib., p . 293, tab . 19. fig. 1. ™
Cpnchramus miliaria, Bonap. Geog. a „ d Comp. L ist o f Birds o f E a r . and H. Amer., p. 35.
Spinas miliarias, G. R . Gray, L is t of Gen. o f Birds, 1341, p. 61.
Miliaria Eurapma, Swains. N a t. H i s t o r Birds, vol. ii. p . 390. -u ^ _
Crithophaga miliaria, Cab. Mus. He in., T h e ili. p. 127.
|p t i J be not the largest member of the Emharizi««. or family of Bantings, it is unquestionably the largest
species inhabiting the British Islands. . .. r
It is a bird familiarly known to us as the Common Banting, Com-Bunting, and Bnutmg-Larlc. The first
of these trivial names is especially applicable, since its dispersion is so general that there is no spee.es more
ubiquitous. Not only does it inhabit the mainland of these kingdoms, but even the smallest islands around
them are not destitute of its presence, Macgillivray states that no b.rd ,s more common m the Outer
Hebrides where it is known by the name of Sparrow. Now, although so generally dispersed, numerically
it is less abundant than most of the other species of its family. In England at least it is.a solitary creature,
dotted here and there , sometimes it may he seen perched on the topmost branch of the hedgerow at others
on the telegraph-wires, which now, like great cobwebs, stretch over nearly every part of the country The
sexes bein', precisely alike in colour, and differing but little in sine, it is impossible to say whether .
male or a female that surmounts the hedge or sits on the outermost branches of the trees we may he ap-
in our country walks. It is somewhat shy in its disposition, seldom admitting I n observer to come
• iVm sixty yards before it dips down towards the earth, and skims Lark-l.ke into the middle of the
■as uejore w o ip ««"n .......— — - - . . .
• . __ 1__.1 ,. .L nUn. n f n *nft n f irrflgR. at. nth»»PR
i -i b m i r i « I . 111 Its nest is built among the corn, sometimes under the shelter of a tuft of grass, at others
rt d t of n m i,l mass o f t a n g l e d herbage a few inches above the ground. The eggs are very conspicuiUsItTblotched
and clouded with dark brown, on a purplish-grey ground , they are four, five, or six in number.
Out of the British Islands, the Common Bi.uti.ar forms part of the avifauna of the Out of the British Islands, the Common nanus« rorios pun ...v----------------------t-e-m---p-e--r-a-t-e-- -a-n-d warmer
tl northern part of Africa “ it is so abundant about Martinmas, says the
onions «» * J trees in t, ; Mic rualts raKl sqinir« of the villages are literally covered
,h these'birds and thev become a staple article of food-," in P a l e s t i n e , Mr. Tristram says it is as common
S f t J S C S E i on »** * * corii-ptu.il. throughout the ye a r i t is known to be equa,,y numerous
. Z is,Ads of the Mediterranean and in Aria Minor, and that it is a!ao foimd ,n Persia ,s certain, for I
,ave a specimen which was opposed entting-angle of
The nroiectine, knob-like, horny excrescence on me rooi m mi »>.«« 1 1 . .
winter, and inay ^ ,'l thod A very E E * . hnliil, which it exhibits in
ime resort to farm-yards and h n doors ^ ^ ,)ardly be sup.
;heae situations, is thus described byMrJKnapp^intJ^ ^ i ¡„jllry; yet I this morning saw a
msed that this b i r d n o t i a r g c r t l i n a u r a ^ wllkh tl,;3 Bunting efTected b,
S tS S S S i .»* - ,* '* • - 1 “ *■ •'*• “ - *•
— - - •» r - * n