2OO VERTEBRATES I BIRDS. 



the nightingale, this is the sweetest singer in Europe. 

 It rises vertically, and when rising or descending utters 

 its varied and powerful song. 



FRINGILLIDYE, OR FINCH AND SPARROW FAMILY. This 

 Family comprises birds with a short, robust, conical bill, 

 nine primaries, tarsi scutellate anteriorly, the two sides 

 with undivided plates meeting behind, forming a sharp 

 ridge. This family comprises all the birds known as 

 Grosbeaks, Finches, Buntings, Crossbills, Sparrows, and 

 the like. Baird divides the family into four groups. 



The first group comprises those which have the bill 

 variable, very large to quite small, the base of the up- 

 per mandible with a closely pressed fringe of bristly 

 feathers concealing the nostrils ; the wings long, pointed, 

 a half to a third longer than the forked or emarginate 

 tail ; and the tarsi short. 



The Genus Hesperiphona has the bill enormously large. 



The Evening Grosbeak, H. vespertina, Bonap., of West- 

 ern North America, is seven and three tenths inches long, 

 the wing four and three tenths inches, the forward half 

 of the body yellowish olive, shading into yellow on the 

 rump and under tail-coverts ; the crown, wings, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail, black; frontal band yellow. 



The Genus Pinicola has the bill much smaller than 

 Hesperiphona, the culmen much curved, and tail nearly 

 even. 



The Pine Grosbeak, P. canadensis, Cab., of Arctic 

 America and southward into the United States in winter, 

 is eight and a half inches long, the wing four and a half 

 inches ; the general color carmine-red, wings marked with 

 white, bill and legs black. The female is brownish above, 

 greenish yellow beneath ; the top of the head, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts brownish gamboge-yellow. 



The Genus Carpodacus has the bill more or less curved 

 above, and the tail moderately forked. 



