CRETZSCHMAR’S BUNTING.

Emberiza ceesia, Cretzschmar.

Le Bruant cendrillard.

We have received beautiful examples of this rare bird from Dr. Cretzschmar of Frankfort, who has also
obliged us with numerous other rarities from the fine collection under his charge. From the circumstance
of so distinguished a naturalist having added this interesting bird to the Fauna of Kurope, as an occasional
visitant to the southern and eastern portions of that continent, we feel no hesitation in inserting it in the
present work.

The true habitat of the Emberiza cesia are the northern and eastern portions of Africa, in which countries it
was observed in abundance by Dr. Rippell. In the third part of his ‘« Manuel d’ Ornithologie,’ M. Tem-
minck states that ‘it inhabits Syria and Egypt; is probably more common in the middle of Kurope than it
is supposed to be, where isolated individuals may have been taken for varieties of the hortulana and cia ; it is
found accidentally in Austria and Provence, an individual having been taken near Vienna in 1827.

We have never seen an example either from India or any of the islands of the Archipelago, which circum-
stance would lead us to conclude that it is almost exclusively confined to the portion of the globe above men-
tioned, and in which it will be necessary to seek for information relative to its peculiar habits and ceconomy.

The plumage of the sexes is less contrasted than is generally observed in birds of this genus. In spring the
male has the top of the head, back of the neck, ear-coverts, and chest grey ; a narrow streak of the same colour
passes from the chest to the base of the lower mandible ; throat, cheeks, and a narrow band across the forehead
light chestnut brown; upper part of the back brown, each feather having a darker centre; rump and upper tail-
coverts brown without spots; the whole of the abdomen rich chestnut brown, more intense on the breast :
wings dark brown ; the secondaries and scapularies strongly edged with light brown inclining to chestnut ; tail
dark brown, the outer edges of the feathers chestnut, and the two outer ones on each side largely tipped with
white on their inner webs.

The female has the chest marked with numerous small spots of black on a ground of brownish grey, which
colour pervades the whole of the head; the remainder of the plumage resembles that of the male, only being
much less intense in colour.

The Plate represents a male and female in their spring plumage, of the natural size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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