i n Sussex, about a c o u p l e of h u n d r e d yards from the sea. For this
i n f o r m a t i o n I am i n d e b t e d to W. F . W . B i r d , E s q . , who had it from
M r . C o o p e r , of R a d n o r - S t r e e t , L o n d o n.
M e y e r says of these b i r d s that t h e y p r e f e r the b o r d e r s of woods,
h e d g e s , and fields, especially if near w a t e r ; that t h e y also visit
g a r d e n s , a n d f r e q u e n t the b a n k s of r i v u l e t s c l o t h e d w i t h l o w willows
a n d other b u s h e s , and d i s t r i c t s i n t e r s e c t e d w i t h d i t c h e s and m a r s hy
t r a c t s ; and that from t h e i r w o o d e d r e t r e a t s t h e y visit the n e i g h b o u r i
n g fields of s t u b b l e , t u r n i p s , and m i l l e t , b u t are s e l d om seen in open
m e a d o w s . He adds that t h e y a r c said to shew t h e m s e l v e s but l i t t l e,
i n w h i c h r e s p e c t t h e y differ from the o t h e r s of t h e i r k i n d that arc
f o u n d in this c o u n t r y , w h i c h are all of t h e m r e m a r k a b l e for p e r c h i ng
i n e x p o s e d s i t u a t i o n s , w h e r e t h e y are easily visible.
G r e a t n u m b e r s of O r t o l a n s are c a p t u r e d in n e t s , a n d p r e s e r v ed
l o r the t a b l e , b e i n g e s t e e m e d a g r e a t d e l i c a c y by the f o r e i g n ' g o u r m
a n d s . ' They a r e k e p t most easily in c a p t i v i t y , and b e i n g s u p p l i ed
a b u n d a n t l y with food, pass almost their whole time in f e e d i n g , so
t h a t t h e y u n w i t t i n g l y h a s t e n on t h e i r d e s t r u c t i o n b y t h e same means
a s , a l t h o u g h in a different way from, sonic n o t o r i o u s g l u t t o n , of w h om
it was said that he c o m m i t t e d suicide w i t h his t e e t h : it w o u l d be
w e l l , if such a h a b i t were confined to the b i r d s , and were shared
i n common with t h e m by none who rank h i g h e r in the scale of
n a t u r e . Even in the time of the R o m a n s , that is to say, in their
l a t e r times, w h e n their l u x u r i o u s n e s s and effeminacy b r o u g h t on by
n e c e s s a r y c o n s e q u e n c e the d e s t r u c t i o n of t h e e m p i r e — t h e y too thus
c o m m i t t e d political s u i c i d e — t h e O r t o l a n was v a l u e d on the same
a c c o u n t that has r e n d e r e d it an object of quest ever since.
I t is a m i g r a t o r y s p e c i e s , A f r i c a b e i n g its w i n t e r and E u r o p e its
s u m m e r r e s i d e n c e . E e c h s t e i n r e m a r k s that its m i g r a t i o n is so exact
a n d r e g u l a r , that when one has been seen in a p a r t i c u l a r spot,
e s p e c i a l l y in the s p r i n g , it is s u r e to be found t h e r e the followingy
e a r at t h e same time. This is, h o w e v e r , e q u a l l y the case w i t h many
o t h e r m i g r a t o r y b i r d s , as well as w i t h t h e one at p r e s e n t before us.
T h e rule is, I t h i n k , one w a y , a l t h o u g h there may be and are
e x c e p t i o n s to it.
T h e food of this b i r d consists of g r a i n a n d s e e d s , as also of insects
a n d t h e i r l a r v a 1 , on w h i c h l a t t e r the y o u n g arc p r i n c i p a l l y fed, as is
t h e case w i t h o t h e r b i r d s of a l l i e d k i n d s.
T h e m o n o t o n o u s note of this species is almost i n c e s s a n t l y r e p e a t ed
b y the male b i r d d u r i n g the p a i r i n g season. As a cage b i r d , B e c h -
s t e i n d e s c r i b e s its s o n g as full a n d clear.
T h e O r t o l a n B u n t i n g b e g i n s to b u i l d early in May.
VOL. 11. '2 1J