Monthly Marathon photo number 217, reproduced here as plate 38, clearly shows a relatively small passerine with a finely streaked mantle. From first impressions alone we can rule out most families, based upon the combination of leg colour, heavy-looking (seedeater's) bill, streaked mantle and crown, and clean underparts. Furthermore, we can eliminate other families of `streaky-brown' passerines which lack the contrasting tertial pattern, longish primary projection and the yellow wash to the underparts. Taken together, these features enable us to rule out larks (Alaudidae), finches (Fringillidae) and sparrows and petronias (Passeridae), leaving us with weavers (Ploceidae) and buntings and North American sparrows (Emberizidae) as the most obvious suspects, although some New World icterids (Icteridae) can bear a passing resemblance. Of the38. Female Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala, Lesvos, Greece, May 2004. weavers, only Village Ploceus cucullatus and Streaked Weaver P. manyar have been recorded in the Western Palearctic in a wild state. Village Weaver in all plumages differs from our mystery bird by its darker upperparts, stronger yellow wash on the flanks and yellowish, rather than white, tips to the greater and median coverts, while Streaked Weaver can be safely eliminated by the lack of underpart streaking. With its apparently pointed bill, washed-out underparts and contrasting greater coverts and tertials, our bird could suggest a female or first-winter male Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula. This resemblance is, however, superficial as this species should not show such prominent streaking on the crown and mantle, and would also show bluer or greyer legs. Given