384 LINARIA MINOR. 



who know it. In form it resembles the Twite, but has the 

 wings and tail proportionally longer. The bill is more com- 

 pressed and 23ointed than in the other species, its upper outline 

 almost perfectly straight, as is the lower, the points of both 

 mandibles acute, the lower somewhat broader at the base than 

 the upper. The feet are proportionally strong, and the claws 

 are very long, arched, and acute, indicating an adaptation for 

 clinging to trees, or other plants. The plumage is soft and 

 blended. The wings are rather long ; the three first primaries 

 almost equal, the second how^ever being the longest ; the outer 

 secondaries are very slightly emarginate. The tail is long, 

 and deeply emarginate, the middle feathers nearly half an inch 

 shorter than the lateral. 



The upper mandible is greyish-brow^n, the lower yellow, 

 but with the point blackish. The irides are brown ; the feet 

 blackish-brown. The loral space, a band edging the forehead, 

 and the throat are blackish, the tips being yellowish-grey, 

 while the bodies of the feathers are black. The upper part of 

 the head is dull red, as is the rump ; the general colours of the 

 rest of the upper parts yellowish-brown, streaked with black- 

 ish-brown. Wing-coverts, quills, and tail dusky-brown, mar- 

 gined w^ith pale yellowish-brown, of which are two bands 

 across the wing formed by the tips of the secondary coverts 

 and first row of small coverts. The sides of the throat, the 

 fore-neck, breast and sides, are pale brown, with longitudinal 

 dark markings ; the abdomen and lower tail-coverts whitish. 



Length to end of tail 4j§ inches; extent of wings 8| ; 

 wing from flexure 2/j ; tail 2f^2 ; bill along the ridge Si 

 twelfths, along the edge of lower mandible j% ; tarsus 6J 

 twelfths ; middle toe 4i twelfths, its claw /^ . 



Female. — The female, which is somewhat smaller, resembles 

 the male in the general colours of the plumage, but has less 

 red on the head, without any indication of that colour on any 

 other part. The bill and feet are similarly coloured. 



Length to end of tail 4/^ inches. 



Variations. — Slight variations of tint occur, according to 



