THK FINCH KS. 61 



but when the Lord of All was fastened to the tree, some of 

 the birds, more touched than the rest, though all nature 

 groaned and travailed in its despair, tried to do what they 

 could to free the Son of Man from his terrible predicament. 

 Thus it was that the robin got his red breast and, in his 

 fruitless endeavours to pull out the nails which fastened the 

 Master to the Cross, the cross-bill got his mandibles so twisted 

 that they never came straight again! Such is the story. 



Wemustnotclosethechapter, however, without reference 

 to those humble little cousins to the finches, the buntings. 

 These number amongst them the hedge-sparrow-like com- 

 mon bunting which is always flitting along before us in the 

 winter fields in China, and very much more attractive birds, 

 such as the yellow-hammer, the Lapland bunting, the snow 

 bunting, etc. David describes seventeen species, amongst 

 them Emberiza clc j i<ims, a beautiful species known throughout 

 the East, and to the Chinese under the name Hwang-mei, or 

 yellow-brows. The far-famed ortolan bunting is a near rela- 

 tive to the cirl bunting of Central Europe. Both have a good 

 deal of the yellow-tint so noticeable in the yellow-hammer. 

 Mostof them migrate, including the Ta-h\vang-mei ( E. chryso- 

 />//rvx) A numerous and most interesting family. 



