ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Their song, shorter and less soft than that of the yellowhammer, has only four or five notes; from their dwelling on the _r_ in the last, they have been given the name of _stocking weavers_. THE ORTOLAN. Emberiza hortulena, LINNÆUS; L'Ortolan, BUFFON; Der Gartenammer, BECHSTEIN. It is necessary to give a very exact description of this species, as not only bird-catchers, but even some naturalists, give the name of Ortolan to several very different species. Under this name the former sell all rare birds of this kind. The true ortolan has a wider breast and stronger beak than the yellowhammer; it is six inches and a half in length, of which the tail measures two and a half; the beak, six inches long, is thick at the base, with a bony tubercle at the palate, and is of a yellowish flesh-colour; the iris dark brown. The legs, which stand ten lines in height, are flesh-coloured; the head and neck is greyish olive; the throat and a streak on the neck from the angle of the beak, deep yellow. The female is rather smaller, of a changeable shining ash-colour on its head and neck, streaked with fine black lines. Its breast, and the upper and under part of its body, are lighter than in the male. The throat of the young male birds, before the first moulting, is of a light yellow, with a mixture of grey; the breast and belly are of a reddish yellow, speckled with grey, which make them rather resemble young yellowhammers. A bird fancier will distinguish the two sexes even in the nest. There are white, yellow, speckled, and in the house sometimes even black varieties. HABITATION.--In its wild state the ortolan is principally found in the southern and temperate parts of Europe, and is not scarce in some of the provinces of Germany; but if attention were paid to them there, they might be seen in every direction on their passage; for though they may not remain during the summer in a district, yet they make some stay, never passing over a great space of country at a time. Their route is so exact and regular, that when one has been seen in a particular spot, especially if in spring, it is sure to be found there the following year at the same time. They fly rather in families than flocks: the time of their arrival in Germany is towards the end of April, or beginning of May; they are then met with in orchards, amongst brambles or in groves, where they build, particularly if millet is cultivated in the neighbourhood. During harvest they frequent the fields in families, and leave after the oats are gathered in[34]. In the house, if much valued, they are given a cage; but in countries where they are common they are let run about free.