186 Div. 1. VERTEBRATE ANIMALS— A VES. Class 2. 



[Their anatomy is strictly that of a Finch, and they are much more nearly related to the Waxbill 

 Finches than to the Tits, with which latter they have little in common. The gullet has an extremely 

 large dilatation or craw *, and the gizzard is remarkably muscular. 



There is only one known species, the Bearded Reedling- (C. biarmicus), an inhabitant of reedy districts, exten- 

 sively diffused over Europe and Asia, and not rare in some parts of Britain. It is one of the most exquisitely 

 beautiful of birds, althoug^h its colours are not vivid. The plumap^e is remarkably long and dense, the wings short, 

 and tail long- and graduated : general colour rich orange-brown, marked with black,white, and yellowish on the wings ; 

 the male distinguished by a pure ash-coloured head and neck, a long pointed tuft of intensely black feathers pro- 

 ceeding downward, like a moustache, on each side of the face, under tail-coverts of the same hue, the throat 

 white, and a delicate mixture of lilac and other tints on the breast ; beak and iris bright yellow, and feet (which 

 are long and robust) black. The female has no black on the moustaches and under tail-coverts, and is every where 

 less bright ; and the young have a broad black stria along the back. Stripped of the feathers, this species appears 

 singularly small, with disproportionally large legs : its apparent size is that of a Whitethroat. 



The Bearded Reedling subsists on reed seeds during the season, and feeds very much on small shelled mollusks, 

 ■which it finds among the aquatic herbage; its nest and eggs, placed in a tussock of grass, or among the sedges, a 

 good deal resemble those of a Bunting, and the brood appears to follow the parents till the return of spring.] 



The Pendulines [ {uEgithalus, Vigors) ] — 

 Have the beak more slender and pointed than in the Tits, and are celebrated for their artificially- 

 constructed nests. 



There is one in F,urope (Par. pendulinits, Lin.). — Ash-coloured, with brown wings and tail; a black band across 

 the forehead, which, in the male, is continued to behind the eyes. This small species, an inhabitant of the east 

 and south of Europe, is noteil for its admirable purse-like nest, composed of willow or poplar down, and lined with 

 feathers, which it suspends to the flexile branches of aquatic trees. 



The Buntings {Emberiza, Lin.) — 



Possess an exceedingly distinct character in their short, straight, and conical beak, the upper man- 

 dible of which, narrower and more retracted at its edges than the inferior, has a hard projecting 

 ])alatal tubercle. They are granivorous birds, easily ensnared. 



[Of fourteen European species, three are common in Britain, a fourth along the southern coast, not far from the 

 sea, and a fifth sometimes occurs as a very rare straggler. The form is peculiar to the eastern hemisphere, 

 though there are some nearly allied species in North America. All are unmusical birds, that feed their young on 

 insects, and consume much unripe corn. 



Of the British species, the Corn Bunting (E. miliaria, Lin.) is the largest, and coloured like a Lark ; beak 

 stouter than in the others, and yellow in summer, horn-colour in winter ; plumage of both sexes alike : frequents 

 inclosures. Tlie male Yellow Bunting {E. citrinella) is distinguished by its clear yellow crown and breast, and 

 abounds everywhere upon hedges and furze-brakes. The Cirl Bunting (E. cirliis) is allied to the yellow species, 

 but smaller and shorter, with a black throat ; particularly frequents the summits of elms, but breeds in the 

 hedges, and is rarely seen far inland. The Reed Bunting (E. sch<eniculus) has a black head and gorget, and 

 white ring round the neck ; the black concealed in winter (at least in the young, less so in the old birds,) by deci- 

 duous edgings to the feathers: it inhabits watery localities. Lastly, the Ortolan Bunting (E. hortulana) has a 

 greenish head, with a pale yellow streak proceeding from the angle of the bill. It is very rare in this country, but 

 abundant in many parts of the Continent, where, with some other species, it is fattened and eaten as a great 

 delicacy.] 



M. Meyer has distinguished from the Buntings 



The Snowflecks {Plectrophanes), — 

 Which have a long hind-claw as in the Larks, [and lengthened wings]. Such is 



The Common Snowfleck {Emb. nivalm, Lin.).— [Beak and upper parts deep black in summer, the rest, and the 

 wings and tail partly, white, the feet black : in winter the black and white are more or less concealed by brown 

 margins to the feathers, and the beak is yellow. In its nest, eggs, notes, and various other characters, this species 

 has little relationship with the Buntings. Jt abounds in the most northern countries, and migrates southward in 

 large flocks during the inclement season, when it is common in North Britain. Another species (PI. lapponica) 

 is of very rare occurrence in this island. Two others have been distinguished.] 



The Finches {Fringilla, Lin.) — 



Have a conical beak, more or less stout at its base, but the commissure of which is not angular. They 

 subsist generally on grain. 



• We lire wrmi: of no inalniicc of lliU iliUtntlon cxiit'nir In Rnr of tlic precuitUiK <cneri> of I'L.-imtm. 



