394 CARDUELIS ELEGANS. 



soft, and slightly glossed, excepting the red feathers on the fore 

 part of the head, -which have a silky lustre. The wings are 

 rather broad ; the second quill longest, but scarcely exceeding 

 the first, which is a little longer than the third. The primary 

 quills are rounded, the secondary emarginate, excepting the 

 inner two. The tail is short, and rather deeply emarginate, 

 the difference in length between the middle and outer feathers 

 being a quarter of an inch. 



The bill is whitish, tinged with red, the point of both man- 

 dibles blackish-brown. The irides brown. The feet dusky- 

 brown. The feathers marmninoj the bill all round, the loral or 

 preocular space, the top of the head, the occiput, and a semi- 

 circular band on the upper part of the neck from behind, black. 

 Anterior to this is a broader band of white passing over the 

 throat, and behind it a narrower of brownish- white. The 

 throat and forehead are crimson, that colour extending over 

 the eyes. The hind-neck and back are umber brown, that 

 colour passing into ochre-yellow on the rump ; the sides of 

 the breast and flanks paler ; the rest of the low^er parts white. 

 The smaller wing-coverts and alula are black, as are the pri- 

 mary coverts ; the secondary coverts rich yellow ; the proximal 

 or basal half of the outer webs of the quills pure yellowy that of 

 the first excepted ; the other parts of the quills black, their 

 tips pure white. The tail-feathers are black, tipped with 

 white ; the two outer have a large white spot on the inner web. 



Length to end of tail 5 inches ; extent of wings 9 ; wing 

 from flexure Sj% ; tail 1{1 ; bill along the ridge 5i twelfths, 

 along the edge of low^er mandible 6i twelfths ; tarsus j\ ; hind 

 toe 3i twelfths, its claw 5i twelfths ; second toe j%, its claw 

 /j ; third toe ^\, its claw j\. 



Female. — The female is considerably smaller. The colouring 

 is similar, but presents the following difterences. The crim- 

 son of the forehead and throat is less extensive ; the cheeks 

 and the white spots on the wings and tail are tinged with 

 brown ; the hind part of the breast and abdomen are of a less 

 pure white ; the black of the head is mixed with grey and 

 brown behind, and that of the wings and tail is less deep. 



Length to end of tail 4|S ; extent of wings 8^§. 



