BLACK-THROATED GROSBEAK. 



357 



the bill and head, which is such that some systematist might do 

 a worse act than dignify it with the title of '• Logger-headed,"' 

 applied to another bird. The neck is short and very thick ; 

 but the body and limbs are proportionally smaller. In short, 

 the Ha^^inch looks like a small bird on which has been stuck 

 the head and bill of another double the size. 



The oesophagus is three inches in length ; the intestine nine- 

 teen and a half; and the coeca, which are two twelfths long, 

 are placed at the distance of one inch from the anus. The 

 plumage is very soft, blended, but firm, and but slightly glossed, 

 excepting the extremities of the quills, which are shining. The 

 wings are very broad, and of moderate length ; the first pri- 



FiG. 61. 



mary quill slightly shorter than the second, which is longest, 

 but scarcely exceeds the third ; the fourth is a little shorter, 

 and the rest slowly diminish, the secondaries being long. The 

 fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth primaries have their tip emar- 

 ginate, and its external margin somewhat falcate ; while the 

 ninth and tenth, together with five of the secondaries, are trun- 

 cate, the inner edge of their tip rounded, the outer sharp, and the 

 three inner quills are rounded. This singular form of the quills 

 is sufficient of itself to distinguish the Hawfinch from every 

 other bird. The tail is short, straight, a little emarginate, the 

 feathers obliquely rounded. 



The bill is flesh-coloured, or white tinged with rose, a small 

 portion of the tip only being dusky. The irides greyish- white ; 

 the feet and claws flesh-coloured, with a tinge of brown. The 

 feathers margining the base of the bill, those on the loral 

 space, and throat, black ; the rest of the head yellowish-brown, 



