Female.
Place and
Manners.
reddilh brown, ftreaked with dufky, darkeft on the head : the
eyes are placed in a bed of yellow, which fprings from the bafe
of the bill, and paffes over the forehead: from the bill alfo arifes
a black ftroke, paffing under the eye, and a little way down the
neck : the throat and fore part of the neck are yellow , on the
lower part of the neck is a broad black ban^ > beneath this all
the under parts are very pale yellow : the tail coverts are ferruginous,
but pale, and two of the feathers nearly as long as the tail
itfelf: the wings and tail feathers are of the fame colour as the
upper parts of the body, but have the edges paler : the legs and
claws black.
The male and female differ fomewhat. In the laft the back is-
crrey, and the ftripes darker : the crown is dufky, which in the
male is nearly black. In other things they refemble one
another.
This inhabits North America, where it is migratory. It vifits
the neighbourhood of Albany * the beginning of May, but goes
farther north to breed. In winter it comes, in vaft flocks, into
Virginia and Carolina +, returning north in fpring. Feeds, during
its flay in the more fouthern parts, on oats and other grain j.
and while at Albany, on the grafs, and the buds of Sprig Birch. It
runs into holes ; whence the natives of thefe laft parts have given
it the name of Chi-cbup-pi-fue.
The Englijh call it the Ortolan, and reckon it delicious, eating.
By fome called Snow-bird, as being very plenty in that feafon.
Frequently caught in great numbers by means of horle-hair
fpringes placed in fome bare place, the fnow being fcraped away»
io
PM. Tranf. f Caufiy.
and
L A R K. 387
and a little chaff ftrewed about. It is always feen on the ground,
and has little or no fong.
This bird is not peculiar to North America: we hear of it in
Germany * alfo. It has been taken at Dantzic, both in the
months of April and December f-, and is in plenty throughout
Rufjia and Siberia J, going northward in fpring.
La Ceinture de Prêtre, ou L’Alouette de Sibérie, Buf. otf. v. p. 61— PI. enl.
650. f. z.
^ p H I S is a very beautiful fpecies : length five inches and three
quarters. The bill above half an inch long, and of a lead-
colour ; the forehead, chin and throat, and fides of the head, are
yellow : between the eye and bill a black fpot, which paffes under
the eye, and unites with a larger one beneath it : the top of
the head and upper parts of the body are rufous and grey brown,
mixed, fpotted with black on the crown : on the breaft is a broad
band of black ; from thence to the vent whitifh : the quills are
grey, edged with dark grey : the upper tail coverts yellowilh :
the tail feathers are almoft black, edged with grey, except the
outer ones, which are edged with white : the legs are lead-
coloured : the hind claw near half an inch long, and very little
bent.
This inhabits Sibiria, but is not common.
# Fri/ch. ■ƒ■ Hiß. des oif.
$ Decouv, Ruff. vol. i. p. 102. vol. iv. p. 459, &c.
La
*9*
Va a. A#
D escription.
Place».
3 D a