FRINGILLIM. 
nostrils basal, lateral, with the opening oval and exposed. Wings moderate, with the second and third 
quills longest ; the first equal in length to the fourth. Tail moderate and even. Tarsi shorter than the 
middle toe, and covered with broad scales. Toes rather long; the outer toe longer than the inner, and 
united at the base ; the hind toe long, and armed with a moderate claw. 
The species that compose this genus are inhabitants of both North and South America. They are found in open 
and cultivated places that border woods, gardens, and orchards, seeking on the ground for various kinds of grain. 
They are also very destructive to figs and grapes, as soon as the fruits are ripe, and may be observed pursuing insects 
on the wing at twilight. Their song is sprightly, and often repeated, and is usually emitted while perched on the 
summit of an orange tree or other bush. Those of the northern parts of America perform migrations to the more 
genial regions on the approach of winter. They undergo great change of plumage according to the season ; the perfect 
or summer plumage being very gay, and highly coloured. The nest is placed in the lower part of an orange tree or 
other bush ; it is composed of fine fibrous roots or horse-hair, and outwardly formed of fine grass. The female deposits 
four to six eggs. 
1. S. cyanea (Linn.) Pr. Bonap. Edw. Birds, pi. 273. f. 2. — Em- 
beriza cyanella Gmel. Wils. Amer. Orn. pi. 6. f. 5. ; Emberiza 
caerulea Gmel. Pr. Bonap. Amer. Orn. pi. 11. f. 3.; Tanagra cserulea 
Gmel. Audub. B. of Amer. pi. 74. 
2. S. ciris (Linn.) Pr. Bonap. PI. enl. 159. f- 1, 2., Wils. Amer. I 
Orn. pi. 24. f. 1, 2., Audub. B. of Amer. pi. 53., Edw. Birds, pi. 130. 
273. f. 1. 
3. S. amcena (Say), Pr. Bonap. Amer. Orn. pi. 6. f. 4., Audub. 
B. of Amer. pi. 398- f- 3. 
4. S. versicolor Pr. Bonap. Proc. Z. S. 1837. 120. 
5. S. Leclancherii Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1840. 2 6 ., Mag. de Zool. 184. 
6. S. cucullata (Lath.) Pr. Bonap. PI. enl. 103. — Fringilla do- 
minicana cristata Bodd. VieilL Ois. chant, t. 70. ; Type of Paroaria 
Pr. Bonap. (1832.) 
7. S. dominicana (Linn.) Edwards’s Birds, pi. 127. — Cocco- 
thraustes brasiliensis Briss. Vieill. Ois. chant, t. 6g. 
8. S. larvata (Bodd.) PI. enl. 55. f. 2. — Carduelis dominicanus 
Briss. 
Tiaris Swains.* 
Bill short, conic, and broad at the base, with the culmen sloping, and the sides gradually compressed 
to the tip, which is entire; the lateral margins sinuated and angulated at the base; the gonys long and 
ascending; the nostrils basal, partly hidden by the frontal plumes, and the opening rounded. Wings 
moderate, with the first quill shorter than the second, which is rather shorter than the third and fourth ; 
these are equal and longest. Tail moderate, even, and slightly rounded on the sides. Tarsi the length 
of the middle toe, and covered with broad scales. Toes rather short and slender ; the lateral toes nearly 
equal ; the outer one united at its base ; the hind toe long ; the claws small, and much curved. 
The species of this division are found in the warmer parts of America and the West India Islands. 
1. T. ornatus (Temm.) Swains. PI. col. 208. I 4. T . fanerea De Tarrag. Rev. Zool. 1847. p. 184. 
2. T. cruentus Less, Rev. Zool. 1844. p. 435. 5. T . jacarina (Linn.) PI. enl. 224. f. 3., Edw. Birds, pi. 306'. 
3. T. omissa Jard. Ann. Nat. Hist. 1847. p. 332. f. 2.— Fringilla splendens Vieill. 
* Established by Mr. Swainson in 1827. 
June, 1849. 
