676 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE I5IRDS. 



The Philippine bush lark is very abundant in the vicinity of Manila 

 and great numbers have been noted in the nuirkets in baskets with the 

 equally common Formosan skylark. 



Famiiv FRINGILLID^. 



Bill conical (except in Lo.via where the mandibles are ci'os.sed) ; com- 

 missure, or cutting edges of bill, angulated ;" nostrils basal and near the 

 culmen, often hidden by antrorse feathers; rictal Inistles moderate in 

 length ; wings well devolo])cd with only nine primaries ; rectrices twelve, 

 tail square or slightly forked; tarsus scutellate in front, covered on each 

 side by a single plate, and with a sharp ridge behind. 



(ienera. 



a'. Mandible.s falcate; the tips crossed Loxia (p. G76) 



«-. Mandibles not falcate; tlio tips not crossed; culmen and gonys straight or 

 but little curved. 

 h^. Bill blunt and very stout, its width at nostril equal to bill fioiu nostril. 



Pyrrhula (p. 077) 

 h'-. Bill sharp and slender, or only moderately stout, its widtli at nostril much 

 less'than bill from nostril, 

 c'. Culmen and gonys gently curved; tail neaily square; top of head liver- 

 brown; a large black patch on chin and throat; no yellow in the 



plumage Passer (p. 680) 



cr. Culmen and gonys nearly straight; tail slightly forked; plumage more 

 or less yellow. 

 d}. Gonys relatively long, being about twice as long as its ramus. 



e'. Larger; culmen flat; bill but slightly conjpressed even at the tip; 



chest orange-rufous Fringilla (p. G79) 



e". Smaller; culmen with a slight ridge; tenninal half of ))ill abr\iptly 

 and greatly compressed; tip acute; chest lemon-yellow. 



Spinus (p. 681) 

 d-. Gonys relatively short, being less than twice as long as its ramus. 



Emberiza ( p. 682 ) 



Genus LOXIA Linnaeus, 1758. 



Bill compressed, the tips crossed; both culmen and gonys strongly 

 curved; wings covering about half the tail. Adult male almost entirely 

 red, adult female partly yellow, and young of both sexes heavily streaked. 



* Coues describes this, the most important character of the family, in the 

 following words: "But the most tangible characteristic of the family [FringillidcBl 

 is angulation of the commissure. The commissure runs in a straight line, or 

 with a slight curve, to or near to tlie base of the bill, and is then more or less 

 abruptly bent dowTi at a varying angle — the cutting edge of the upper mandible 

 forming a reentrance, that of the lower mandible a corresponding salience. In 

 familiar terms, we might say that the corners of the mouth are drawn down — 

 that the finches, though very merry little birds, are literally 'down in the mouth.' 

 In the great majority of cases this feature is unmistakable, and in the grosbeaks, 

 for example, it is very strongly marked indeed; but in some of the smaller-billed 

 forms, and especially those with slender bills, it is hardly perceptible." 



