VII FRINGILLIDAE 583 
last-named are the considerable deflection of the posterior 
portion of the angular gape and the bony knob often present on 
the palate; a gap, moreover, commonly occurs between the edges 
of the maxilla and the mandible. Extreme forms are thus easily 
recognised, but it seems almost impossible to draw an exact line 
of demareation, even when the more Lark-like nest of Buntings 
and their streaky eggs are taken into consideration. The /rin- 
gillidae predominate in the Palaearctic Region, but are fairly 
plentiful elsewhere, except in the Australian Region, whence few 
are as ‘yet recorded; many forms, however, have very limited 
ranges; while some are peculiar to certain islands, as Geospiza, 
Camarhynchus, and Cactornis to the Galapagos, Passer jagoénsis to 
the Cape Verds, Chaunoproctus to the Bonin Islands and Telespiza 
to the Laysan group, Nesospiza to Tristan da Cunha, Aelopyrrha 
to Cuba, Rhynchostruthus and Passer insularis to Socotra. 
The bill is usually stout and cone-shaped, often with a notched 
maxilla, occasionally with a ridged culmen: it is enormous in 
Geospiza, Camarhynchus, Chaunoproctus, and some other forms, and 
highly developed in Coccothraustes, Pyrrhula, and elsewhere ; but 
is at times either remarkably short, or longer and more slender, 
as in Cactornis, Chrysomitris, and Carduelis. Frequently it is curved, 
with overhanging tip, while a peculiar crossing of the mandibles 
at their extremities marks the genus Lowa. An excessive suminer 
growth has been especially noticed in Redpolls, which is worn 
down by hard food in winter. The beak is seldom abnormal in 
Buntings. The metatarsus is moderate ; but in Calearius, Plectro- 
phenax, Nesospiza, and Chamacospiza the hind claw is elongated, 
as is the mid-claw in Phonipara. The wings, which have a minute 
outer primary, vary from very long, as in Hesperiphona, to short 
as in Passer, and from pointed, as in Pectrophenax, to rounded as 
in Ammodramus ; the secondaries are shaped like a bill-hook in 
Coccothraustes, while the inner are much lengthened in Lmberiza 
fucata. The tail is fairly normal, but may be long or decidedly 
short, square, round, graduated, or forked; the rectrices are unusu- 
ally acute in Spiza, Coryphospiza, and Emberizoides. Many species 
possess a crop. Bristles generally occur at the gape, and the 
nostrils are concealed by feathers or by a membrane. 
The sexes may be similarly coloured or very different, the 
hues being commonly sober, but sometimes particularly brillant. 
Cc 
Cardinalis, Paroaria, Gubernatrix, Melophus, Pyrrhuloxia, Schis- 
