FBINGILLID^ FEINGILLARIA 187 



Genus II. FRINGILLARIA. 



Type. 

 Fringillaria, Swains. Class. B. ii, p. 289 (1837) F. capensis. 



Bill with the upper mandible entire, elongated and pointed. 

 Wings short ; the primary quills not much longer than the tertials. 

 Tail moderate, either quite even or very slightly rounded. Lateral 

 toes small, equal. All the claws small and short. Plumage rather 

 variable, but never any white pattern on the tail, according to Dr. 

 Sharpe. 



Seven species belonging to this genus are known, distributed 

 over Africa, Arabia and Palestine, Baluchistan and Northern India 

 as well as Japan. 



In their general habits and food, as well as in their song, the 

 Fringillaria resemble the Ember iza ; but their eggs are very 

 different, being spotted and blotched with brown, like those of some 

 Finches and Larks, and being without the peculiar zig-zag mark- 

 ings so characteristic of the eggs of the majority of the true Bunt- 

 ings (Embcrizce). Three species of the genus Fringillaria are found 

 in South Africa ; a fourth, F. scptemstriata, occurs in North-east 

 Africa, and a fifth, F. insularis, on the island of Socotra. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Crown grey-brown with a central streak of grey ; 

 throat white ; lesser and middle wing-coverts 

 chestnut-red '. F. capenais, p. 187. 



6. Crown black with a central streak of white ; 

 throat black $ ; throat ashy ; lesser wing- 

 coverts reddish-brown mottled with black, 

 middle and greater coverts black F. tahapisi, p. 189. 



c. Crown brown, each feather streaked black ; throat 

 whitish ; lesser and middle wing-coverts rufous- 

 brown centred with black F. impeiuani, p. 190. 



103. Fringillaria capensis. Cape Bunting. 



Emberiza capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 310 (1766). 



Fringillaria vittata, Swains. An. in Menag. p. 315 (1837) ; id. Classif. 

 B. ii, p. 290 (1837) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 207 (1867). 



Fringillaria capensis, Swains. Classif. B. ii, p. 290 (1837) ; Layard, 

 B. S. Afr. p. 206 (1867) : Holub and Pelzeln, Beitr. Orn. Sildafr. 

 p. 135 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard 's B. S. Afr. pp. 489, 851 (1884) ; 

 id. Cat. B. M. xii, p. 565 (1888) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 18 (1896). 



" Streepkopje " and " Streepkop Mossie " (Stripe-head and Stripe- 

 headed Sparrow), of the Dutch Colonists. 



