Family XV. FRINGILLINAE. FINCHES.
GENUS II. EMBERIZA, Linn. BUNTING

Bill short, robust, tapering, somewhat compressed; upper mandible with its dorsal line declinate and slightly convex, the ridge indistinct, the sides convex, the edges a little inflected, ascending to beneath the nostrils, then descending or direct, with a slight notch close to the narrow tip; lower mandible with the angle short and wide, the dorsal line ascending, and very slightly convex, the ridge broad at the base, the sides convex, the edges inclinate, their outline ascending for a third or more of its length, then direct, the tip narrow. Nostrils basal, roundish. Head large, ovate; neck very short; body rather stout. Feet of moderate length, rather strong; tarsus of ordinary length, compressed, with seven anterior scutella; toes rather large; the hind toe strong, and longer than the lateral, which are equal, the third much longer, and united to the fourth at the base. Claws long, arched, much compressed, acute. Plumage soft and blended, but firm. Bristles feeble. Wings rather long, with the second and third quills longest. Tail of moderate length, emarginate.