Male. Head, back and lower parts ash-coloured, tinged with brown, darkest on mantle and 

 scapulars ; feathers on the crown, tipped with pale cinereous ; a narrow band of dark 

 brown round the base of the bill ; band across rump, wings, outer margins of great 

 wing-coverts, upper tail-coverts and tail purple black ; margins and tips of same 

 black ; centre portion of tertials and the two centre tail feathers rosy-copper ; outer 

 margin of last tertials, bright red-brown, paler at its base ; great wing-coverts broadly 

 tipped with pale cinereous, darker at the base; spot under eye, on each side of breast, 

 belly, under part of wing-and coverts, band across rump, and under taU-coverts white : 

 eye brown ; bill greenish horn, margin and tip black, lower mandible bluish black ; 

 feet fleshy brown : length 5-4, wing 3'3, tail 28, tars. 0'7, culm. 0-4. 



Female. Similar, but rather more tinged with pale brown ; the dark brown band at base of 

 bill, less distinct ; the elongated spot on the last tertial yellowish-white. 



Young Male. Similar, rather more tinged with pale brown ; without the dark brown band 

 at base of bill ; feathers on the crown, not margined with cinereous ; the black band 

 on rump very indistinct ; the elongated spot on the last tertial, nearly as bright as in 

 the adult : bill greenish brown, margin and tip darker, lower mandible yellowish 

 brown, tip darker. 



Nestling. Without the elongated spot on the last tertial. 



" The young at first, want this distinctive sexual mark," (^Hodgson). 



This sombre coloured Bullfinch, which so much resembles the females of 

 the other species known to science, was first described by Mr. B. H. 

 Hodgson in the ' Asiatic Researches ' in 1836, and mentioned by other 

 ornithologists, including Mr. T. C. Jerdon, who gives an excellent des- 

 cription of it in his ' Birds of India,' 1863, at the same time, it is to be 

 regretted that nothing is known respecting its habits, migration, or 

 nidification. 



The species was obtained by Mr. Hodgson in Nepal, it has since then 

 been found in the S. B. Himalayas, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Bootan. 



Mr. W. B. Brooks procured it at Sikkim, a pair being in the collection 

 of the Rev. Canon Tristram, who very kindly lent them to me. Mr. 

 Jerdon says that in Sikkim "it is not very rare in winter, in summer 

 seeking the higher elevations." Mr. E. Blyth says : " It does not appear 

 that P. Nipalensis has been observed westward of Nepal." 



