126 
FRINGILLA GRAMMACA. 
GENUS XIV. — FRINGILLA. 
28 . FRINGILLA GRA MM AC A. LARK FINCH. 
BONAPARTE, PLATE V. FIG. III. 
For this very interesting new species, Ornithology 
i3 
is again indebted to Long’s expedition, and particular^ 
to Say, who gave it the name we have adopted, a' 1 
informs us, in "his notes, that many of these birds W 
•er« 
the 
shot in the month of June, at Bellefontaine, on 
Missouri ; and others were observed, the follow" 1 ' 
spring, at Engineer Cantonment, near Council Bluff 1 ' 
It seems probable that the range of this bird ' 
limited, in a great measure, by the Mississippi on 
east. Like the larks, they frequent the prairies, a1 ' 
very seldom, if ever, alight on trees. They sing sweet 1' 
and often continue their notes while on the wing. 
The lark finch is six inches and a half long ; its l' 1 j 
a little notched at tip, is of a pale horn colour, wit » 
slight elevation on the roof of the upper mandible. } 
feet are pale flax colour, tinged with orange ; the irwj 
are dark brown. On the top of the head are two diLit*- . 
lines, blackish on the front, and passing into ferruginO ‘ 
on the crown and hind head, separated from each of 11 
by a whitish cinereous line ; from the eye to the supc>' u !. 
mandible is a black line, which, as well as the ey®> ’’ 
enclosed by a dilated white line, contracted behind & 
eye ; from the angle of the mouth proceeds a bb" 
line, which is much dilated into a ferruginous spot 
the auricles ; below this is a broad white line, m; 
beneath by a narrow black one, originating at 
inferior base of the lower mandible ; the chin and tbr° 
are pure white. The neck above, the back, and rufl|r 
are dull cinereous brown, each featlier of the inters^j, 
pular region having a blackish brown disk; the t> c a 
beneath and breast, are dull whitish cinereous ; a 
blackish brown spot is on the middle of the breast; * , 
belly and vent are white. The wings are dusky bro« . 
the lesser wing-coverts are margined with dull cinereo 
