166 B U N T I N G ,
4* BLACK B.
Emberiza hyemalis, Lin. Syß. i. p. 308. 2.
L ’Ortolan de neige noir, Brif. orn. iii. p. 289. C.
L ’Ortolan Jacobin, Buf. oif. iv. p. 335.
Snow Bird, Cate/b. Car. i. pi. 36.—Kalm. Trans, ii. p. 51. 8 i.— Arfl. Zoo!.
Br. Muf. Lens. Muß.
Description. g I L L white : head, throat, neck, back, fcapulars, rump, and
upper tail coverts, black, inclining in fome parts to lead-
colour : from the bread to the vent white : quills and tail black :
legs grey.
Thofe in the Britifi and Leverian Mufeums have the tip of the
bill black : the fore part of the neck lead-coloured, and the two
outer tail feathers with ferruginous margins.
Place. Seen in Virginia and Carolina in winter only, chiefly in fnowy
weather : called by fome the Chuck Bird.
ORTOLAN B.
Emberiza hortulana, Litt. Syß. i. p. 309. 4. — Fautt. Suec. 229. — Fri/de.
pl. 5.—Mullert N° 253.
L’Ortolan, Brif. orn. iii. p. 269. 4 .«»— Buf. oif. iv. p. 305. pl. 14. — PI. enl*
247. f. i .— Olin. uc. p. 22.
Hortulane, Rail. Syn. p. 94. 6.— Will. orn. p. 270. pl. 40.
Ortolan, Albin. iii. pl. 50.—Arä. Zool'.
Lens. Muf.
Description. g O M E W H A T lefs than the Yellow-hammer: length fix
inches and a quarter. Bill yellowilh : the head and neck are
cinereous olive: round the eyes yellowilh : throat the fame, bordered
on each fide with a cinereous line under the jaw : back, and
fcapulars, brownilh chefnut, mixed with black in the middle of
the feathers, but inclines mod to chefnut towards the rump: the
under parts very pale rufous, lighted towards the vent: wing feathers
thers brown, deepeft in the middle; fome of them 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 to it tipped with white; though in fome birds- the
outer feather is marked obliquely with white near the end, with
a brown tip : legs yellowilh.
The female differs in having the head and neck inclining to
afh-colour, marked with fmall blackifh lines down the lhaft of
each feather: otherwife like the male.
Thefe birds are found in feveral parts of Europe, but are not
met with in England; are common in France and Italy, and fome
parts of Germany * and Sweden -f, migrating from one to the
other in fpring and autumn; and in their paifage are caught in
numbers, in order to fatten for the table» This is done eafily,
by including the birds in a dark room, fitting before them plenty
of oats and millet, which they foon grow fo fat with, that they
would die from that caufe alone, did not their feeders kill them
fir-fl, for the fake of emolument from the fale of them. Their
flelh is thought to. be one o f the mod exquifite morlels yet
known, being as it were a lump of rich fat; and the birds arrived
at this, ftate will often, weigh three ounces each,— It is alfo
very common in the fouth of Ruffia, and: in Siberia, as far as the
river Oh ;. but never goes much to the north J ,
This fpecies will fometimes fing very prettify, and has been
kept for that purpofe., The fong is not unlike that of our Yellow
hammer, but finer and fweeter.
In fome parts it makes the neft in a low hedge; in others, on
FtMALB
Place m i
Manners.
Hiß. des oiß t Faun, Suec.
IO
J Mr. Pennant•
the