202 PASSERINJE. COCCOTHRAUSTES. 



tain, but more common in the southern than in the northern 

 parts. The nest, placed in a bush or low tree, is formed of 

 grass, moss, and downy filaments, and lined with seed-down. 

 The eggs, four or five, are pale bluish-green, spotted with 

 brown. 



Lesser Redpoll. 



Fringilla Linaria, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 322. Fringilla Lina- 

 ria, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. i. 373. Linaria minor, Smaller 

 Redpoll Linnet, MacGillivray, Brit. Birds, i. 383. 



GENUS LXIII. COCCOTHRAUSTES. GROSBEAK. 



Bill of moderate length or rather long, straight, conical, 

 extremely thick, higher than broad at the base, acute ; up- 

 per mandible with the dorsal line slightly convex, the ridge 

 broad and rounded, the sides rounded, the edges slightly in- 

 flected, with a slight notch close to the tip ; lower mandible 

 broader at the base, and somewhat larger than the upper, 

 with its crura extremely thick, the angle extremely short, 

 the dorsal line straight, the back very broad, the edges in- 

 flected ; gape-line a little arched. Mouth rather wide ; both 

 mandibles deeply concave ; tongue sagittate, narrow, grooved 

 above, the tip bifid ; oesophagus wide, dilated on the middle 

 of the neck ; proventriculus bulbiform ; stomach roundish, 

 compressed, with very strong lateral muscles, and dense, 

 longitudinally rugous epithelium ; intestine of moderate 

 length, rather wide ; coeca very small, cylindrical. Nostrils 

 small, elliptical, basal, concealed by the reflected feathers. 

 Eyes of moderate size. Ears large, oval. Head large and 

 broad ; neck short and thick ; body moderate. Legs short ; 

 tarsus compressed, with seven anterior scutella ; toes slender, 

 compressed; claws rather long, arched, deep, much com- 

 pressed, laterally grooved, acute. Plumage blended, soft ; 

 wing broad, of moderate length, the outer three quills nearly 

 equal, the second longest ; tail short, a little emarginate. 



This genus is composed of a few species belonging to both 

 continents, remarkable for the extraordinary thickness and 

 strength of their conical bill. This thickness of the bill ren- 

 ders necessary a large size of head, and a thick neck, which 

 give to these birds a clumsy appearance, their body and limbs 

 seeming disproportionately small. Only one species occurs 

 in Britain. 



