A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.

George Montagu

Date:: 1866

Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$BUFFBEEASTED SANDPIPEE. [Buffbreasted Sandpiper. | See Sandpiper, [Buffbreasted Tringa. J Bufifbreasted.] [Buffcoloured Egret.— See Heron, Squac- co.] [Buffelheaded Duck. 1 See Duck, Bufifel- [Buffelheaded Garrot. J headed.] [Buffon’s Skua.—See Skua, Buffon’s.] [Bullfinch, Common.—See Finch, Bui.] [Bullfinch, Pine.—See Grosbeak, Pine.] Bull’s-eye.—See PuiTe. [Bulwer's Petrel.—See Petrel, Bulwer’s.] Bumble.—See Bittern. Bumpycoss.—See Bittern. Bunting. — A genus of bh-ds, the charac- ters of which are: Bill strong and conic, the sides of each mandible bending in- wards : a hard knob in the roof of the upper mandible. Bunting, Blackheaded. — See Bunting, Eeed. Bunting, Cirl. — [_Yarrell, i. 520; Hew- itson, xlviii. 190.] Emberiza Cirlus, Lin. Sijst. i. p. 311, 12 ; Gmel. Syst. ii. p. 879; Rail Syn. p. 93, 4; Will. p. 196 ; Ind. Om. i. p. 401, 10 ; Lin. Trans, vri. p. 276 ; Lath. Syn. Sup. ii. p. 199. Le Bruant de haye, Buf. iv. p. 347; Plan. Enl. 653, f. 1, 2. Girl Bunting, Lath. Syn. iii. p. 190, 26. Emberiza sepiaria, Bris. iii. p. 263, 2 ; 15. 8vo, i. p. 383. — The length of this species is six inches and a half; weight about seven drams. The bill is of a ' bluish lead-colour above, paler beneath; irides hazel. The' crown of the head, nape of the neck, and upper part of the breast, is of a fine olive-green, the first streaked with dusky; fi-om the upper mandible through the eye a dusky stroke; above and beneath the eye a bright yellow one; throat black, shghtly tipped with brown, running into a bar under the yellow on the cheek; beneath this is a gorget of beautiful bright yellow ; the back and scapulars are of a fine chesnut- brown, the former mai’ked with dusky streaks, the margin of the feathers with oUve; rump oHve-brown; upper tail-coverts inclining to chesnut; the smaller ■wing- coverts oUve-green; greater coverts dusky, their outer webs chesnut-brown; greater quiEs dusky, edged ■\vith green on the exte- rior webs ; smaller quills chesnut, dusky down their middle; across the breast is a band of chesnut, mixed -with yellow; belly and under tail-coverts yeUow, the latter dusky on the shafts; sides more inclining to brown ; the under ■\\'ing-coverts blight yellow ; the t'n'o middle feathers of tlie tail chesnut-browm, the rest black, except the two exterior on each side, which have an oblique bar of white from tlie tip half way; and the outmost feather is ■white throughout the whole of the exterior web ; the legs are brown ; claws dusky. The female in general weighs half a dram less than the male. The upper part of the head is olivaceous-bro^wn, streaked with dusky; over the eye a dull yellow streak, passing down the side of the head; cheeks brown, on which is a yellowish spot; on each side the lower mandible is a broken streak of dusky, passing downwai'ds ; chin and throat dull yellow, the latter streaked ■with dusky; the back-part and sides of the neck and breast olivaceous-bro^vn, with dusky sti-eaks ; belly and sides pale yellow, ■with large dusky streaks on the latter; the upper part of the body and wings hke the other sex, but the colours less bright. We first discovered this spe- cies near Kingsbridge in the ■winter of 1800, not uncommon amongst flocks of Yellow Buntings and Chaffinches, and procured several specimens of both sexes, killed in different places six or seven miles from that place. They are indige- nous to Devonshire, but seem to be con- fined to the southern parts of that county contiguous to the coast, ha^ving found them extending as far os Teignmouth, at both of which places we found their nests; but have never observed them far inland. It generally builds in furze, or some low bush ; the nest is composed of diy stalks, roots, and a little moss, and lined •with long hair and fibrous roots. .The eggs are four or five in number, cinereous-white, with irregular long and short curved dusky fines, terminating frequently ■with a spot at one end; size rather inferior to those of the Yellow Bunting, to which it bears great resemblance. These birds pair in April, and begin lajing early in May. The female might readily be mis- taken for that sex of the Yellow Bunting at a little distance, but is materially differ- ent when compared, especially in the chesnut-colour of the upper parts of this bird. The note is also similar to that of the YeUow Bunting, but shoilnr, not so shiiU, and the latter part not drawn out to such a length. It is remarkable that so common a bird as the Cirl Bunting seems to be in the west of England, should have BO long escaped the notice of British natu- ralists ; but in aU probability this has been occasioned by tlieir locality. It is said to be only found on the continent in$