E. oryzivora, Lin. t&c. Passerina oryzivora, Vieil. Rice Bird. or Rice bunting, Prov. Bob Lincoln, Coquelde, ilhite-backed Maize Thief kc. Brown above ; black be neath; nape of the neck rufescent; tail feathers pointed.
The female is nearly all rufous, with a change of brown on some parts. Length six inches eight lines. The colour ing varies considerably with the season ; and the species undergoes two moultings in the year. Native of America. Haunts moist meadows ; sings on the ground, and rarely perches for a little on the branch of a bush or tree. Ex cept in pairing time, these birds, which are of a very so ciable disposition, live in numerous flocks, arriving in the centre of the United States about the end of April or the beginning of May, and remaining till September, when they commence their erratic excursion. In autumn these flocks are composed of males and females; but when they return in spring, the sexes separate, and form into dis tinct bands. The maturity of the rice regulates their movements towards the end of summer, the young ad vancing first, and then the old ones, along with the late broods, and the individuals which breed in the north of the United States, all being attracted to the regions in which their favourite food abounds. They travel during the night ; and as their incessant clamour gives intimation of their passage, they may be perceived in moonshine, al though at a great elevation in the air. They rest during the day in the fields, feeding on the.seeds of various plants in digenous to their native abodes. The syllable tweet, pro nounced in an abrupt and shrill tone, is both their rally ing cry previous to departure, and their note of uneasi ness and alarm. Such of them as inhabit the island of Cuba quit it in August, when the rice crops are gathered in, for they seldom attack that grain when quite ripe, but whilst it is yet milky. They then resort to Georgia and Carolina, where the same grain is still immature, and, combining with those which arrive from the north, com mit rapid and extensive havock among the crops. Mont beillard alleges that they winter as far north as Canada ; but this has been found to be a mistake, as they all pro ceed southward on the approach of winter, some of them halting in the West Indies, and others in Mexico ; nor are they ever seen in Canada before the fine weather sets in, namely, in the month of May. In this northern pro vince they breed, and then depart in August for Georgia and Carolina, where their meagre bodies are rapidly fat tened by the quantities of rice which they devour, and they are then reckoned a delicate morsel for the epicure. When in a state of confinement, they are wakeful at the stated periods of their journeys, and frequently utter their rally ing cry during the night. Their usual movements seem
to depend on the appearance of certain insects ; for, after they arrive in Florida, about the beginning of April, they remain till the May fly, and a species of locust on which they preferably feed, have been extirpated. Although the males and females travel separately in the spring, Catesby is mistaken when he asserts that the autumnal birds are composed only of females, for Vieillot found them to con sist of both sexes ; but at that season of the year their attire is similar, so that an ordinary observer may be easily misled. The female builds her nest at the foot of tall herb age, forming the outside of some of the coarser grasses, and the inside of a large quantity of the finer sorts. She Iays four or five bluish-white eggs, spotted with brown, and of the size of those of common bunting. The note of the male is shrill, singularly varied, and characteri zed by abrupt transitions, as if expressive of anger or passion.
E. cirlus, Lin. &c. E. eleathorox, Bechs. Cirl Bunt ing. Varied above ; yellow beneath ; and the two outer tail feathers marked with a white wedge-shaped spot. The cirl bunting is six inches and a half in length. It is a na tive of France, Italy, and other warm parts of Europe, fre quenting newly-ploughed lands, feeding on grains, worms, and insects, which last it picks out of the grOund. Though not uncommon in many parts of Cornwall and Devonshire, it was first recognized.as appertaining to the British Fau na by Colonel Montagu, who met with it among flocks of yellow buntings and chaffinches. It generally builds in furze, or some low bush, the nest being composed of dry 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 lines, frequently terminated with a spot at one end. The birds pair in April, and begin laying early in May. The females might, at a little distance, be readily mistaken fot the same sex of the yellow bunting, but are obviously dif ferent when nearly compared. The note of this species is also similar to that of the yellow bunting, but shorter, less shrill, and the final part not drawn out to such a length. The female has only a gentle plaintive chirrup. The principal food of the young birds appears to be insects, especially grasshoppers ; and they will likewise eat vari ous seeds, of which canary is the favourite. They arc easily tamed, and will live about six years in confine ment.