Female.
Place and
M a nne r s .
with a blackilh dafb down the fliaft of each feather, which is
fringed on the edge with rufous: under parts plain yellowilh
white, dalhed on the fides with dufky : quills dufky, with yellowilh
edges: tail feathers much the fame, and a trifle forked t legs
pale brown.
The female differs little, except in palenefs o f colour,, from the
male.
This is common in England, but much lefs fo than, the la ll;
and in winter unites into large flocks. The female builds the
nell three or four inches from the ground, on fome tuft of decayed
herbage or dead plant, and lays five or fix eggs. During
the time of the hen’s fitting, the male is feen entertaining her
with his fcream, for I will not call it fing, fitting on fome bare,
and often projecting part of the branch of an adjacent tall tree;
where he may be obferved, all of a heap, every now and then, uttering
a tremulous kind of fhriek,, three or four times repeated.
At the latter end of harveft unite into flocks,, and remain fo for
the mod part during the winter, where they are Ihot in numbers*
or caught in nets ; and, from their finril'ar plumage, are lold for
Larks to the ignorant; and indeed by the better informed often
pafs by the name of Bunting Larks.
Though thefe birds remain tfie whole year in EngTand, yet we
find them named as migratory on the Continent. In France they
are rarely leen in winter, departing with, the Swallow *; and are
laid to be more plenty about Rome f than elfewhere. They are
common throughout Germany, the fouthern parts- of Rujfta-, Sweden,
and Denmark, but not in Sibiria J.
• Hiß. des oif, . f Olina. X Mr. Pennanti
Ëmberix?
Emberiza fçhoeniclus, Lia. Sy/l. i. p. 31 !. 1 j .—-Faun. Soee. N° 231.—Brim. 9.
251. — Muller, N“ 254..— Kram. el. p. 371 • N“ $.—Frifcb. pi. 7.— REED B.
Georgi Reife, p. 174*
L’Ortolan dé Rofeaux, Brif. orn. iii. p. 274.— lluf, oif. iv. p. 315.— PL ml.
247. f. 2. (the male) 497. z. (female)
Greater Reed Sparrow, Raii Syn. p. 93. A , 3.— Will. orn. p. 269.— Alhin. ii,
pi. 51.— Br. Zool. i. N® 120.— Aril. Zool,
Br. Mû/.. Lev. Muf.
g I Z E of the Yellow Bunting: length five inches and three Description.
quarters. Bill brown : irides hazel: the head, throat, fore
part of the neck, and bread, black : on each fide of the neck a
pale dreak, which pafles backward, encirling the back part of the
neck as a ring:: the upper parts o f the. body and wings brownifh
red, with a dreak of black down the fhafts: the lower part of
the bread and belly white, dreaked with dufky on the'fides : the
eight middle tail feathers black; the two middle ones edged ■
with rufous; the others only fo on the outer margins; the lad'
but one white, except from the bafe to the middle of the, inner
web, which: is black, and the lhaft wholly black ; the outer one-
is alfo white, except at the bafe and tip, where it is duflty; all of'
them fharpifh at the ends: the legs pale brown.
In young birds-the black.on the head as mixed with brown *.
The. female has the head and neck partly of the, fame colour as- Femaie.
the upper parts of the body ; otherwife is marked much like the
male, though more dull.
This fpecies frequents marfhy grounds in England, efpecially Manners °
*-! •• At the: approach of winter the head changes to hoary, buton return of
“ fpring refumes its priftine jettynefs.” Br. Zwl. .
3 whera