. American ornithology, or, The natural history of the birds of the United States [microform]. Birds; Oiseaux. 184 CRIMSON-NECKED BULLFINCH. ininck, Vieillot, and other naturalists, by arranging them genericallj separate. The closeness of affinity between these two birds, when thus properly disposed, affords no good reason for the unity of their genera; for, if we proceed to the abolition of all artificial distinction between genera united by almost imperceptible gradations, Sylvia would be joined to Turdus, Myiothera to Troglodytes, Lanius to Muscicapa, the whole of these would be confused to
. American ornithology, or, The natural history of the birds of the United States [microform]. Birds; Oiseaux. 184 CRIMSON-NECKED BULLFINCH. ininck, Vieillot, and other naturalists, by arranging them genericallj separate. The closeness of affinity between these two birds, when thus properly disposed, affords no good reason for the unity of their genera; for, if we proceed to the abolition of all artificial distinction between genera united by almost imperceptible gradations, Sylvia would be joined to Turdus, Myiothera to Troglodytes, Lanius to Muscicapa, the whole of these would be confused together; and, in fact, orders and classes would be considered as genera; and even the vast groups, thus formed, would be still observed to unite inseparably at their extremes, and we should finally be compelled to consider all living bodies, both animal and vegetable, as belonging to one genus. This argument, however, may not convince every naturalist of the propriety of our arrangement, and they must, therefore, place the two species, strictly according to nature, in one genus, and consider the present as a Fringilla â ; but, how unnatural will then be the situation of Pyrrhula vulgaris, and Pyrrhula enucleator ! The inflated form of the bill, the curvature of both mandibles, very apparent in the superior one, as well as the compression of both at tip, are obvious diaracters, which distinguish the species of Pyrrhula from the Fringillce, in which both mandibles are nearly straight, and present a conic form on every side. Berries, and seeds which they extract from the pericarp, buds, and young shoots of diff'erent plants, constitute the food of the IJullfinches. They generally frequent forests and bushy places, building their nests on small trees, or low branches of large ones: the females lay four or five egg><. The greater number of the species moult twice a year; the sexes differ considerably in appearance. They reside in cold and tem- perate climates, with the excepti
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectois
