196 AVES. 



[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. biarmiciis), 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, althoui^h its colours are not vivid. The pluraag-e is remarkably long- and dense, the wings short, 

 and tail Ion"- and graduated : f;;eneral colour rich orang^e-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, imder tail-coverts of the same hue, the throat 

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

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

 less brio-ht ■ and the young have a broad black stria along the back. Stripped of the feathers, this species appears 

 sin<^ularly small, with disproportionally large legs : its apparent size is that of a AVhitethroat. 



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 [ {.■EgUhalus, Vigors) ] — 

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

 constructed nests. 



There is one in Europe (Par.penduVnius, 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 cast 

 and south of Europe, is noted 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 {Emheriza, 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 

 palatal 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, 

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

 insects, and consiune much unripe corn. 



Of the British species, the Corn Bunting (E. mUiaria, 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. The 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. cirlus) 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 counti->', 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. nivalis, 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. It abounds in the most northern countries, and migrates southward in 

 large flocks during the inclement season, when it is conmion 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 are aware of no instance of this dilatation existing in any uf tUe preceding genera of I'asserina. 



