32. MONTIFRINGILLA. 261 



Montifringilla alpicola, Blanf. East. Persia, ii. p. 248 (1870) ; Seebohm, 

 Ibis, 1883, p. 10 ; Severtz. t. c. p. 60 ; Radde, Orn. Cauc. p. 171 

 pi. viii. (1884). 



Plectrofringilla alpicola, Bogd. B. Cauc. p. 67 (1879). 



Adult male. Similar to M. nivalis and having a similar black 

 throat, but with the head brown like the back and not ashy grey. 

 The lesser wing-coverts white like the median and greater coverts. 

 Total length 6-5 inches, culmen 0-6, wing 4-65, tail 2-75, tarsus 0'9. 



Although rather a smaller bird than M. nivalis, the bill is per- 

 ceptibly longer and stouter. The young bird (mns. H. Seebohm) is 

 much more tawny brown than the adult, the white of the quills 

 and tail-feathers being externally washed with tawny, the second- 

 aries and outer tail-feathers with dusky-brown markings at the 

 ends of the white feathers. The lesser wing-coverts are blackish, 

 tipped with white spots, and the median coverts have dusky blackish 

 bases ; the primary-coverts are uniform dusky blackish. All the 

 latter characters show an affinity to M. adamsi, from which, how- 

 ever, even such a young bird as is here described can be recognized 

 by the greater amount of white on the secondaries. 



Hah. From the Caucasus to the mountains of Persia, Turkestan, 

 and Afghanistan. 



a. Ad. sk. Erzeroum {Dickson Sf Boss). Gould Coll. (Type 



of M. leucura.) 



b. <$ ad. sk. Mazendaram, Elburz Mountains, Sir 0. St. John [C.]. 



Persia, Feb. 1870. 



c. d. Ad. sk. Persia. Purchased. 



e. Ad. sk. Afghanistan {Griffith). India Museum. 



/. Sternum of Persia. Sir 0. St. John [C.]. 



spec. a. 



3. Montifringilla adamsi. 



Montifringilla adamsi, Moore, MSS. ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 482, 

 1859, p. 178, pi. 156 ; Gould, B. Asia, v. pi. 1 (1867) ; Bh/th, 

 Ibis, 1867, p. 43 ; Pelz. Ibis, 1808, p. 319 ; Walden, Ibis, 1869, 

 p. 213 ; Hume $ Holders. Lahore to York. p. 262 (1873) ; Hume, 

 Nests Sf Eqgs Ind. B. p. 473 (1873) ; Stoliczka, Str. F. 1874, p. 463, 

 1875, p. 220 ; Scully, Str. F. 1876, p. 172 ; Prjevalski in Rowleys 

 Orn. Misc. ii. p. 289 (1877) ; David $■ Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 547 

 (1877); Hume, Str. F. 1879, p. 108 ; Severtz. Ibis, 1883, pp. 60, 

 81 ; Prjev. Ibis, 1884, p. 244. 



FringiUa adamsi, Gray, Hand-l. B. ii. p. 85, no. 7253 (1870). 



Adult male in summer plumage. General colour above nearly 

 uniform brown, with indistinct centres of darker brown on the 

 mantle and back ; lesser wing-coverts brown ; median coverts brown, 

 tipped with white ; greater coverts white, brown at the base, the 

 inner ones light brown like the back : bastard-wing blackish brown ; 

 primary-coverts white, with blackish -brown tips ; quills blackish, 

 edged with lighter brown ; the secondaries white at the ends, in- 

 creasing in extent towards the innermost, which are pale brown like 

 the back ; upper tail-coverts black, the outer ones white or exter- 

 nally white ; centre tail-feathers blackish, edged with brown ; the 

 remainder entirely white with a blackish spot at the ends ; crown 



