FINCHES. 151 



woody capsules of great hardness, or the kernels 

 of stone-fruits, which must either be opened by a 

 forcible wrench, or crushed by strong pressure. 

 At the season of incubation, many species live 

 extensively on caterpillars, and the larvae of other 

 insects, with which the young are almost exclu- 

 sively fed ; and there are some numerous genera, 

 in which a fruit or seed diet is at all times largely 

 varied by insects. In such cases, as the Tanagers 

 for example, the upper mandible is more or less 

 obviously notched at the tip, as in the slender- 

 billed Dentirostres ; and, for the same purpose, 

 the more secure holding of a living and active 

 prey. 



The Finches are spread over the whole world, 

 as might be supposed of so very extensive a Fa- 

 mily ; in general, the individuals of each species 

 are abundant, and many associate in flocks. They 

 are considered to possess the peculiarities of the 

 Class in very high development ; they are in ge- 

 neral much admired for their clean neat appear- 

 ance, their often brilliant colours, their docility 

 of manners, and their sprightliness ; and these 

 qualities, united with their small size, the facility 

 of supplying them with food, and the power of 

 song with which very many species are endowed, 

 render them the most suitable of all birds for the 

 confinement of a cage ; hence they are general 

 favourites in the houses of the rich and the poor. 



GENUS CARDUELIS. (Bmss.) 



We have, in the Goldfinches, an example of 

 the Frmgilladce with the beak of only moderate 

 thickness, or which might even be characterized 



