in zoology, the name of a genus of birds of the order of passerine: the distinguishing characters of which are, that the tongue is plain, equal, and whole; the beak large, thick, and short, crooked and convex both ways. There are 48 species, principally distinguished by the colour. The following are natives or visitors of Britain.

1. The coccothrautes, or haw-grosbeak, visits us only at uncertain times, and is not regularly migrant. They feed on berries; and even on kernels of the strongest stones, such as those of cherries and almonds, which they crack with the greatest facility: their bills are well adapted to that work, being remarkably thick and strong. Mr Willoughby tells us, they are common in Germany and Italy; that in the summer they live in woods, and breed in hollow trees, laying five or six eggs; but in the winter they come down into the plains. The length of this species is seven inches; the breadth, 13; the bill is of a funnel shape; strong, thick, and of a dull pale pink colour; the breast and whole under-side is of a dirty flesh colour; the neck ash-coloured; the back and coverts of the wings of a deep brown, those of the tail of a yellowish bay: the greater quill-feathers are black, marked with white on their inner webs. The tail is short, spotted with white on the inner sides. The legs flesh-colour. The great particularity of this bird, is the form of the ends of the middle quill-feathers; which Mr Edwards justly compares to the figure of some of the ancient battle-axes: these feathers are glossed over with a rich blue; but are less conspicuous in the female.

2. The enucleator, or pine-grosbeak, is common to Hudson's Bay, Sweden, and Scotland. Mr Pennant observed them flying above the great pine-forests of Invercauld in Aberdeenshire, and imagines they breed there. They feed on the seeds of the pine. Linnæus says, they sing in the night. It is near twice the size of the bullfinch. The bill is strong, dusky, forked at the end; less thick than that of the common bullfinch: head, back, neck, and breast, of a rich crimson: the bottoms of the feathers ash-colour: the quill-feathers and tail dusky; their exterior edges, of a dirty white: legs black: length, nine inches and a half. There seems an agreement in colours, as well as food, between this species and the cross-bill.

3. The curvirostra, or cross-bill. There are two varieties of this bird: Mr Edwards has very accurately figured the lesser, which is seen frequently; the other is very rare. These birds, like the former, are constant visitants of this island: in Germany and Switzerland, they inhabit the pine forest, and breed in those trees as early as the months of January and February. They feed on the seeds of the cones of pines and firs; and are very dexterous in sealing them, for which purpose the cross structure of the lower mandible of their bill is admirably adapted: they feed also on hemp-seed, and the pips or kernels of apples, and are said to divide an apple with one stroke of the bill to get at the contents. Linnæus says, that the upper mandible of this bird is moveable; but, on examination, Mr Pennant could not discover its structure to differ. LUBEC

The pyrrhula, or bullfinch. The wild note of this bird is not in the least musical; but when tamed it becomes remarkably docile, and may be taught any tune after a pipe, or to whistle any notes in the jutest manner: it seldom forgets what it has learned; and will become so tame as to come at call, perch on its master's shoulders, and (at command) go through a difficult musical lesson. They may be taught to speak, and some thus instructed are annually brought to London from Germany.—The male is distinguished from the female by the superior blackness of its crown, and by the rich crimson that adorns the cheeks, breast, belly, and throat of the male; those of the female being of a dirty colour: the bill is black, short, and very thick: the head large: the hind part of the neck and the back are grey: the coverts of the wings are black; the lower crossed with a white line: the quill-feathers dusky, but part of their inner webs white: the coverts of the tail and the vent-feathers white: the tail black.

In the spring these birds frequent our gardens; and are very destructive to our fruit-trees, by eating the tender buds. They breed about the latter end of May, or beginning of June, and are seldom seen at that time near houses, as they choose some very retired place to breed in. They are sometimes wholly black; and there are instances of their changing to this colour after they were full grown, and of recovering their natural colour in another year. Birds fed on hempseed alone are most apt to change their colour in this manner.