144 Mr. Douglas on some Species 



V- 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 are 

 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 

 vicinity of the ocean. Seeds of Bromus altissimiis. Madia sativa, 

 and a tribe of plants allied to Wedelia, catkins of Corylus, leaves 

 of Fragaria, and various insects, are their common food. Nest on 



the 



