History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

78 BIRDS. PASSERES. Embemza.Length 7\, breadth 11J inches ;weight about 2 ounces. Bill brown ; iridesdark hazel ;legs yellow. Throat white, with black spots ; belly white ;wings and tail black, the coverts edged with yellowish-brown. Female likethe male. Nest on the ground like its congeners. Eggs 4, whitish, spottedand veined with brown. The young have a reddish tinge. This bunting isgregarious in winter, and is often taken in lark-nets, and brought to market.It extends to the Zetland Islands.84. E. Schceniculus. Reed Bunting.— The head, chin, andthroat black.Passer torquatus in arundinetis nidificans, Will. Orn. 136 E. sch. Linn.Syst. L 311. Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 326. Temm. Orn. i. 307 £, ReedSparrow, Water-Sparrow; S, Black-Bonnet; W, Golfan-y-cyrs Acommon resident near marsh v s* ground.Length Gh, breadth 10 inches; weight ounce. Bill black ;i rides and feetbrown. A band of white commences at the corners of the mouth, and, growingbroader behind the ears, encircles the head. Belly white. Back black,the feathers edged with brown. Quills brown, with pale edges. Tail withthe two middle feathers brown, with pale edges ;the two exterior ones oneach side half white and half black, with a brown spot near the tip. In thefemale the head is tinged with reddish-brown, the white on the belly inclinesto dusky, and there is no white ring round the head. Nest in grass or furzenear the ground, of dried stalks, lined with fine grass and hair. Eggs, 4,bluish-white, males— with brown spots and veins. The white ring is wanting in theyoung Gregarious in winter, and mixing with other species. *Doesnot occur in the northern islands.— 85. E. nivalis. Snow-Bunting. Tip of the bill, legs, feet,and claws, black ;the claw of the hind-toe produced.Montifringilla calcaribus Alaudse, — Will. 187 Fringilla,Sibb. Scott. 18.— E. niv. Linn. Syst.i. 308—Fab. Faun. Gr. 117 Penn. Brit. Zool. i.320. Temm. Orn. i. 319. S, Snowfiake ; W, Golfan-yr-eira ; G, Eunt-sneachdaidbA winter visitant.Length 6J, breadth 12^ inches; weight 1 J ounces. Bill black, vellow within;irides hazel. The head, neck, breast, belly, and rump white, with theroots of the feathers black. Back black, with pale edges. Primaries black,with a white base. Middle tail-feathers black, the three outer ones whitewith a dusky spot near the end. In the female the black is paler, and thewhite dusky. Nest in crevices of rocks, inMay, constructed on the outsidewith grass,lined with feathers, and then with hair.Eggs 5, white, with duskyspots. In the young, the base of the bill is yellow, and the head, ear-covertsbreast, and sides, more or less mixed with chesnut. The feathers on theback dusky, with rufous edges. In this state, or some of its numerous varieties,it is the Tawny Bunting and Mountain Bunting of Penn. Brit. Zool. i.327., and 321.— This bunting breeds in Greenland, visits this country in harvest,and retires in spring.It is first seen on the high groundin" stubblefields,and its motions resemble those of the lark. As the winter advances itapproaches the corn-yard, and feeds with the sparrow and finches. In Zetlandit is called Oat-fowl, from the preference which it gives to that kind of grain.As a straggler, may be noticed tYe E. cirus, Turton's Lin. Syst.i.542., distinguishedby having the head blue; belly orange; back green. It is a nativeof South America. Montagu, in his Supplement to his Orn. Diet., articleGrosbeak, says, A painted Bunting, E. rims, was taken alive on Port-"land Island, in the year 1802, having doubtless made its escape from on boardsome ship going up Channel, or that came to anchor off Weymouth. This birdwe saw alive in the possession of Mrs Stewart of that place."