420 LOXIA EUROP^A. 



The nostrils are rather small, round, in the fore part of the 

 extremely short nasal membrane, open, but concealed by short 

 reflected feathers. The eyes are rather small ; the eyelids 

 feathered. The aperture of the ear is circular, large, being 

 nearly a quarter of an inch in diameter ; the meatus oblique. 



The legs are short and strong ; the tarsi very short, stout, 

 compressed, feathered a short way below the joint, covered an- 

 teriorly with six large scutella, behind sharp-edged. The toes 

 are of moderate strength, compressed ; the first stronger, rather 

 longer than the two lateral, not taking in the claws, but with 

 its claw about as long as the third ; the first has six scutella, 

 the second eight, the third eleven, the fourth nine. The claws 

 are large, arched, compressed, laterally grooved, and taper to a 

 fine point ; — in short, are adapted for clinging, like those of 

 the Siskin and Redpoll. 



The plumage is moderately full, soft, rather blended ; the 

 feathers ovate, with their filaments separated. The wings are 

 long, with eighteen quills ; the primaries narrow and rounded, 

 the secondaries rather short and slightly emarginate ; the second 

 quill longest, the first scarcely a twelfth shorter, and the third 

 about as much shorter than the first. The tail is rather short 

 and emarginate, the feathers tapering obliquely outwards at 

 the end. 



The greater part of the uj^per mandible, and the ridge and 

 tip of the lower, are dark greyish-brown ; the edges of the for- 

 mer and the rest of the latter flesh-coloured. The irides are 

 hazel. The feet are purplish-brown, the claws brownish-black. 

 The feathers of the head, neck, breast, and sides are pale dull 

 vermilion, with an intermixture of grey on the hind-neck, and 

 yellow on the breast ; the abdomen greyish-white, the hind 

 part of the sides brownish-grey, the lower tail-coverts greyish- 

 brown, broadly margined with dull white ; the middle of the 

 back is dusky red, the hind part bright reddish-yellow ; the 

 upper tail-coverts deep brown. The wings and tail are deep 

 bro^\m, the smaller feathers of the former tinged with dull red, 

 the quills and tail-feathers very slightly margined with reddish- 

 yellow ; the lower wing-coverts brownish-grey. 



Length to end of tail 7i inches; extent of wings II/2 ; 



