304 CHAFFINCH. 



or characterize the barks of those in the vicinity, 

 as to be of very difficult detection. The inside 

 is lined with equal care with hair or feathers. 



In geographical distribution, this bird is scarcely 

 so extended as some others of our Fringillida. 

 It is generally spread over Europe. Mr Yarrell 

 mentions its occurrence in Northern Africa, and 

 on the authority of Mr Dewar states, that it was 

 met with in the Azores. We have no trace of it 

 on the Asiatic continent. 



In the adult male, the forehead is clear bluish 

 black, the crown, nape, and sides of the neck, 

 grayish blue, and on these parts during winter 

 having the feathers tipped with tawny, so as to 

 give a brownish tinge over the whole ; back 

 chestnut brown, margined during winter with 

 yellowish gray ; rump and upper tail coverts deep 

 sulphur yellow ; quills brownish black, edged 

 with yellowish ; greater coverts black, tipped 

 with white, and forming a very distinct bar 

 across the wing, scapulars white, also conspicu- 

 ously seen ; tail, with the centre feathers, greenish 

 gray, the others black, the two exterior tipped on 

 the inner webs with white ; the throat, cheeks, 

 breast, belly, and flanks, tinted with purple ; vent 

 and under tail coverts pure white. The female 

 is more soberly dressed. 



The next genus we have to notice, is JEmberiza, 

 or Buntings^ containing a good many subordinate 

 forms which have been placed as sub-genera. In 

 the British Fauna, what has hitherto been looked 



