VJS AYES. 



[Their anatomy is strictly that of a Fincli, and tliry are much more nearly related to the Waxhill 

 Finches than to tlie Tits, with wlilcti latter tliry have Httlc in common. The gullet lias an extremely 

 large diliUatioii or craw '■=, and tlie gizzard is reniarkably muscular. 



Tliere is only one known species, tlie Bearded Reedliii^ (C. hiaymicns), an inhabitant of reedy districts, exten- 

 sively dilVused over Kiirope and Asia, and not rare in some parts of Britain. It is one of the most exqnisitely 

 beautiful of birds, although its colours are not vivid. The plumage is remarkably long" and dense, the wings shoit, 

 and tail long and graduated; general colour rich orange-brown, marked with b]ack,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 lung and robust) black. The female has no black on tlie 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 fenthers, this species appears 

 singidarly small, with disproportionally large legs : its apparent size is that of a AVliitethroat. 



The Bearded Reedling subsists on reed seeds daring the season, and feeds verj' much on small .shelled mnllusks, 

 which it finds auKJUg the aquatic herba':;e; its nest and eggs, placed in a tussock of grass, or annmg tin.' sodges, a 

 good deal i-esenil.)le those of a Bunting, and the brood apjiears to follow the parents till the return of spring.] 



The PE>iDULi>.'ES [ {jEgifhah(s,t\igoi:s) ] — 

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

 constructed nests. 



There is one in Europe (Par. pendidi/ius, Lin.).— Ash-coloured, wittt brown wings and tail ; a black band across 

 the foreh(>ad, which, in the male, is continued to behind the eyes. This small species, an inhabitant of the east 

 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 tlexilc branches of tiquatic trees. 



The Buntings {Emheriza, Lin.) — 

 Possess an exceedingly distinct character in their short, straight, and conical heak, the upper nian- 

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

 paliital tubercle. They arc granivorous birds, easily ensnared. 



[Of fourteen European species, three are cnniiiuui in I!i-it;iin, a fi.iniih along the snuthrm coast, not far from the 

 sea, and a lifth sometimes occurs as a ver\- rare strau^iilcr. Tin.- forui is peculiar to tlie ea^ti-rn hcuiispliere, 

 though there ai-e some nearly allied species in North America. All are unmusical bn-ds, that fectl 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. The male Yellow Bunting (E. f?7W»(';/rt) is distinguished by its clear yellow crown and breast, and 

 abounds everywhere upon hedges and furze-brakes. The Cirl Bunting (E. cirln.-i) 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. scfucni cuius) has a black head and goi-get, and 

 white i"ing round the neck ; the black concealed in winter (at least in the ynung, less so in the old birds,) by deci- 

 duous edgings to the feathers: it inhabits watery Iuc;ilities. Lastly, the Ortolan Bunting (E. horiulana) has a 

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

 alinndaiit in many parts of the Continent, \ihere, uith some other species, it is fattened and eaten as a great 

 delicacy.] 



M. Meyer lias distinguished from the Binitiiigs 



The Snowflecks (Plrcfroj/J/ancs), — 

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



The Common Snowftcrk (Einh. ifim//:., Lin.).— [Beak and upper parts deep black in sunmier, the rest, and the 

 wings and fail 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 witli the Buntings. It abounds iu the most northern countries, and migrates southward in 

 large flocks during the inclement season, when it is common in North Biitain. Another species (P/. /<fy?//o/?;a7) 

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



The Finches [Friinjilla, Liu.) — 



ITave a conical hcnk, more or less stout at its base, but the commissure of wdiich is not angular. They 

 subsist generally on gruiu. 



• We are aware of no Instance ut lliii; ilil.TKilion cxislint; In .iny uf the precctllTi^^ gcncrn of Putserinx. 



