BRITISH BIRDS. 193 



(tramuorotts 



THE birds of this order are furnished with bills, 

 more or less stout, of a conical shape, and very 

 sharp at the point, admirably fitted for the pur- 

 pose of breaking the hard external coverings of 

 the seeds of plants from the kernels, which con- 

 stitute the principal part of their food ; during 

 the time of incubation they destroy great numbers 

 of insects and their larvae, on which they feed 

 their young. 



Many of the busy little tribes which constitute 

 this order are distinguished by the beauty of their 

 plumage and the sweetness of their song. Some 

 of the species congregate in large flocks during 

 the autumn and winter months, enlivening the 

 woods and fields, and others are even met with 

 in the largest and most populous cities. 



* This order comprises six British genera, viz. . Alauda, Parus,. 

 Emberiza, Loxia, Pyrrhula, Fringilla. 



VOL. I. 2 B 



