194 PASSERINE. FRINGILLA. 



lateral muscles, radiated tendons, and dense rugous epi- 

 thelium ; intestine of moderate length and width ; cosca 

 small, cylindrical, adnate. Eyes of moderate size, eye- 

 lids feathered. Nostrils nearly circular, basal, in the fore 

 part of the nasal depression, which is short and hroad. 

 Aperture of ear large, elliptical. Legs short ; tarsus com- 

 pressed, with about seven anterior scutella, thin-edged 

 behind, with two longitudinal plates ; toes slender, com- 

 pressed, the second and fourth shortest and equal, first 

 stouter, third and fourth united at the base ; claws rather 

 long, slender, arcuate, compressed, laterally grooved, acute. 

 Plumage soft and blended ; wings of moderate length, 

 with seventeen quills, the three outer longest ; tail mode- 

 rate, of twelve feathers, of which the lateral are slightly 

 bent outwards. 



The Passerinse, like the Emberizinse, are for the most 

 part granivorous ; but they also eat soft fruits, leaves of 

 plants, and insects. They are active and lively, in win- 

 ter generally gregarious ; have a strong, rapid, and un- 

 dulated flight ; glide among the branches with ease, on 

 the ground always move by short leaps ; frequent the open 

 fields in search of food, retreating to trees and bushes 

 when disturbed, and settling there at night. They form 

 an elaborate nest, and lay from four to eight spotted eggs. 

 Of these birds, which for the most part are numerous and 

 generally distributed over the country, we have eighteen 

 species. 



GENUS LX. FRINGILLA. FINCH. 



Bill shortish, straight, direct, conical, acute ; upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line decimate and straight to near the 

 end, when it becomes a little convex, the ridge broad and 

 convex, the sides rounded, the edges inflected but overlap- 

 ping, with an obsolete notch or sinus close to the tip ; lower 

 mandible with the angle short, broad, and rounded, the dor- 

 sal line very slightly convex, the ridge broad, the sides 



