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Genus IY.—SPIZA, Bonap. PAINTED-BUNTING. 
Bill short, moderately stout, conical, acute ; upper mandible rather nar- 
rower, with the dorsal line somewhat convex, the ridge narrow, the sides 
sloping and a little convex, the edges inclining upwards for a third of their 
length, then direct, with a slight notch close to the narrow declinate tip ; 
lower mandible with the angle short and rounded, the dorsal line very 
slightly convex, the sides rounded, the edges involute, the tip acute. 
Nostrils basal, roundish, partly concealed by the feathers. Head broadly 
ovate ; neck short ; body rather full. Feet of moderate length ; tarsus much 
compressed, with seven scutella ; toes of moderate size, hind toe large, 
lateral equal. Claws slender, compressed, well arched, acute. Plumage 
full, soft, and blended. Wings of moderate length, the second and third 
quills longest, the first about equal to the fourth. Tail of moderate length, 
emarginate. Palate anteriorly with their narrow ridges, forming a large 
oblong hard knob at their base ; tongue higher than broad, deeply grooved 
above, pointed : oesophagus dilated into a crop ; stomach elliptical, muscular; 
intestine of moderate length ; cceca very small. 
PAINTED BUNTING. 
Spiza Ciris, Wils. 
PLATS CLXIX. — Male in different states of Plumage, and Female. 
About the middle of April, the orange groves of the lower parts of 
Louisiana, and more especially those in the immediate vicinity of the City 
of New Orleans, are abundantly supplied with this beautiful little Finch 
But no sooner does it make its appearance than trap-cages are set, and a 
regular business is commenced in the market of that city. The method 
Yol. III. 15 
