168 
BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 
tlie covert of liedges or buslies, and tlie ground in 
corn-fields. Its eggs are reddish-grey streaked with 
brown, or bluish-white spotted Avitli black. AYhen 
this bird is fed in a proper manner it becomes very 
fiit, and is extremely delicious. In the south of 
Europe there are several establishments for the pur- 
pose of feeding Ortolans with abundance of tlieir 
favourite food, for the table. 
In the male bird, the throat, the circle round the 
eyes, and a narrow band springing from the angle 
of the bill, are yellow, these two yellow spaces being 
separated by a blackish-grey dash; head and neck 
grey, tinged with olive, and spotted with brown ; 
feathers of the upper parts blackish in the middle 
and reddisli on their edges ; under parts, reddish-bay ; 
tail blackish, the external feather with white on the 
^ outer vanes ; bill and legs flesh colour. 
The Clialfiiiches and Sparrows are familiar to all. 
There are slight variations of form exhibited in some 
American species, but they are not of particular im- 
portance. AVe come now to the most typical of all 
the Einclies, forming the sub-family CoccotliraustincB, 
or Hard Bills. In this division are comprised, as we 
have before intimated, those birds which possess the 
most conic, largest, and most 
powerful bill. They are all tree 
birds, seeking their food amongst 
the branches, or on the stems and 
twigs of slender weeds and plants, 
and not resorting to the ground 
li];e the Sparrows and Buntings. 
Two species well known in this country, though not 
