42 Family Fringillid^ 



FAMILY FRINGILLID.€. 



THIS famil}' consists of a uumber of hard-billed, largely seed-eatiug, birds. 

 Howard Saimders 011I3' distinguishes these as Finches fFrin^HluurJ and 

 Buntings (E>i!beyiziHaJ ; but the Catalogue of Birds, of the British Museum, 

 regards the Grosbeaks as constituting a third Subfamily (Coccothraitstiiuc). Seebohm 

 agreed with Howard Saunders in uniting the latter Subfamily to the typical 

 Finches ; but, in my opinion, there is more difficulty in distinguishing between 

 some of the foreign Buntings, aud Grosbeaks, than between the latter and the true 

 Finches. I would, in any case, rather err on the side of too much regard for 

 structural differences, than on the opposite side. 



The F) hio'iUidcr have the tenth primary, which is often well-developed, con- 

 cealed by a longer covert ; it has thus escaped observation aud been asserted to 

 be non-existent ; the bill is hard and conical, aud is (to my mind) better described 

 by the term "beak"; the Finches feed their young from the crop, regurgitating 

 the food when partially- digested : naturally during the breeding season, I believe 

 all are more or less insectivorous, although seed forms their staple food : in 

 confinement, however, many of the Finches will live for many years upon seed 

 alone. 



The CoccothraiisibuT, or Grosbeaks, of which the Hawfinches are typical, are 

 characterized by a very heavy and powerful beak, with hardly any angle to the 

 chin ; the nasal bones produced backwards beyond the front margin of the eye- 

 socket, (cf. R. B. Sharpe, Cat. Birds, Vol. XII). 



The Fringillincc, or true Finches, the type of which is our English Chaffinch, 

 usually have a somewhat less powerful beak, with the angle of the chin slightly 

 more defined, but still ver}' feebly shown ; the mandibles almost terminating at 

 the same point ; the nasal bones not produced backwards beyond the front margin 

 of the eye-socket. 



The E»ib€risi)ur, or Buntings, of which our Yellow Ammer ma}' be considered 

 typical, have a well-marked angle to the chin ; the lower mandible terminating 

 well within the upper one, and not complete!}' closing in the centre of the cutting 

 edge ; the more typical Buntings also have a hard horny knob on the palate, and 

 a compression of the lower mandible to meet it ; they also walk when on the 

 earth, and are largely insectivorous (in which respects the}' approach the Chaffinch 

 and Brambling among the true Finches) : many Buntings, however, are not walking 

 birds. 



The Fringillida are favourite cage-birds, chiefly on account of the ease with 

 which their food can be provided. 



