144. Mr. Doucras on some Species 
the longest. Under coverts light brown mixed with a rusty 
colour. Tail 12 feathers, of unequal length, rounded, lead- 
colour, but less bright than the breast or crown of the 
head. Tarsi one inch and a quarter long, reddish. Toes 
webbed nearly to the first joint. 
Female. Head and breast light fuscous-brown, the middle of the 
feathers black. Crest half an inch long. Throat whitish 
or light gray. Belly light gray waved with black, less 
bright than the male. Under coverts of the tail foxy-red. 
Length 10 inches. Girth 16 inches. Weight about twelve - 
ounces. Flesh brown, well-flavoured. 
From October until March these birds congregate in vast 
flocks, and seem to live in a state of almost perpetual warfare ; 
dreadful conflicts ensue between the-males, which not unfre- 
quently end in the destruction of one or both combatants, if 
we may judge from the number of dead birds daily seen 
plucked, mutilated, and covered with blood. When feeding, 
they move in compact bodies, each individual endeavouring 
to outdo his neighbour in obtaining the prize. The voice is, 
Quick—quick—quick, pronounced slowly, with a gentle suspen- 
sion of the voice between each syllable. At such times, or 
when. surprised, the crest is usually thrown forward over the 
beak, and the reverse when retreating, being brought backwards 
and laid quite close on the back. Their favourite haunts 
dry upland or undulating gravelly or sandy soils in open woods, 
or Coppice thickets of the interior; but during the severity of 
winter, when the ground is covered with snow, they migrate in 
large flocks to the more temperate places in the immediate 
icinity of the ocean. Seeds of Bromus altissimus, Madia sativa, 
and a tribe of plants allied to Wedelia, catkins of Corylus, leaves 
of Fragaria, and various insects, are their c common food. Nest on 
the 
