388 



LINARIA BOREALIS. THE MEALY KEDPOLL. 



Linaria borealis. Selb. Newcastle Transact. I. 263. 

 Gros-bec boreal. Fringilla borealis. Temm. Man. d'Orn. III. 264. 

 Lesser Redpoll Linnet. Linaria Minor. Var. Selb. lUustr. I. 320. 

 Fringilla Linaria. Lesser Redpoll. \'ar. B. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 139. 



Length Jive inches and a third. The colours as in the Common 

 Bedpoll^ hut the edges of the feathers j)aler., the rump greyish- 

 white^ and the loicer parts nearlg white. 



Some birds of a larger size than the Common Redpoll, but 

 resembling it in form, as well as, with certain differences, in 

 colour, having been observed in Britain of late years, they 

 have been variously considered by authors as belonging to a 

 larger race of the last species, or to a distinct species, to which 

 the name of Mealy Linnet, Linaria canescens, has been given 

 by Mr. Gould. The only specimen of this kind that I have 

 seen was obtained by JNIr. Weir of Boghead, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Bathgate, and is now before me. It was killed in 

 winter, and appears to belong to the Fringilla borealis of Tem- 

 minck, whose description I shall in the first place translate. 



" Fringilla borealis. Gros-bec boreal. Larger than the 

 Siskin ; winter plumage whitish all over ; rump pure white. 



" Throat and lore black ; upper part of the head and the fore- 

 head blood-red ; forepart of the neck, breast, and rump rose- 

 red ; belly, abdomen, and flanks pure white ; occiput and 

 nape covered with blackish streaks on a reddish- white ground ; 

 back and scapulars with broad blackish streaks, all edged with 

 white ; broad margins of pure white on all the feathers and 

 quills of the wings and tail. Bill yellow, upper mandible 

 brown above. Length five (French) inches. The old male in 

 spring. 



