BUNTINGS. 163 



BUNTINGS. 



"TT will be seen at a glance that all the birds brought together in 

 our present group bear a strong resemblance to each other in 

 general conformation, although they difler considerably in the tints of 

 their plumage. They have therefore been placed by ornithologists in 

 a single family, and are called Emherizidcf, or Buntings. These birds 

 form the connecting link between the; Larks on the one hand and the 

 Finches on the other, their wings and claws proving their relationsnip 

 to the former, and their bills to the latter family. The Buntings are 

 characterized by their rather stout bodies, short necks, wings of 

 moderate length, and longish straight or forked tails; their legs are 

 rather short and toes long, the hinder one furnished with a long claw. 

 Their bills are peculiarly adapted for cracking the husks or shells of 

 the various seeds and berries on which they feed, being short, conical, 

 and pointed, with the edges of the mandibles turned inwards; the 

 upper mandible is slightly overlapped by the lower, and its roof is 

 furnished with a hard projecting knob. Most of the Buntings are social 

 in their habits, living peacefully together in large flocks, except during 

 the breeding season, and being frequently seen in company with their 

 first cousins the Finches and Larks. They are none of them gifted 

 songsters, indeed their notes are in general harsh, shrill, and monoto- 

 nous. Their nests are simply constructed of straws and fibrous roots. 



