4 FAMILY CHARACTERS, 



As among our New England members of this famih', we 

 find some of the finest song birds in the world, for example, 

 the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and White-throated Sparrow, we 

 naturall)' expect, to find the muscles of the inferior larynx 

 or syrinx well developed, and the accompanying muscular ap- 

 paratus also well developed. This is the case, and we find all 

 the six pairs of song muscles, of which I give an example in 

 fig. 8, witii an accompanying explanation, present, and also 

 th.e tyinpnnif)rm and semiluna vibrating membranes, also 



Fic.4 Fio, r> 



Vtoinuin of Shore Finch 

 V, kt-oj ; m, marginal indenta- 

 tion. ; F. f urcula. A. coraeoid, ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^,^^ Sparrow, 



i, sc:ijjula: c, costal proce^BCS. 



figured in the above mentioned cut. There is, however, some 

 variation in this respect. See fig 0, where I give a cut of the 

 muscular apparatus of the Evening Grosbeak with explana- 

 tion of the varying pirts. 



Some of our Is'ew England Sparrows, on the other hand 

 are sadly deficient in song, for example, the Yellow-wingevl 

 and Sharp-tailed Sparrows. 



Most of our New England species are migratory, but with 

 some this instinct appears quite feeble, for ex-ample, the Gobi 

 and Purple Einche.^ which usuallv remaiu in so-ne p.irts of 



