53. EMBEEIZA. 517 



edged with rufous and terminally margined with ashy ; greater 

 coverts black, broadly edged with fulvous-brown, more" rufous on 

 the inner ones ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills dark 

 sepia-brown, narrowly edged with ashy olive, becoming pale yellow 

 towards the ends of the primaries, the first of which is margined 

 entirely with yellowish white ; the secondaries edged with fulvous- 

 brown, the innermost rufous on the outer web and at the tip ; 

 tail-feathers dark brown, edged with ashy fulvous, somewhat 

 rufescent on the centre feathers, and tinged with yellow on the 

 outer ones ; the two outer feathers with an elongated wedge-shaped 

 mass of white on the inner web, much reduced on the penultimate 

 feather; crown of head olive-greenish, with yellow bases to the 

 feathers, which are also streaked with black near the ends ; the 

 sides of the crown dull olive-greenish, streaked with black ; hind 

 neck and sides of neck dull olive-greenish ; lores bright yellow, as 

 well as the feathers over the eye, both more or less concealed by 

 olive-greenish ; cheeks and sides of face dull yellow, overshaded 

 with olive ; a line along the upper and a second line along the 

 lower edge of the ear-coverts dusky black ; entire throat yellow, 

 with a few triangular spots of dull olive and a dusky patch at the 

 lower end of the malar line ; fore neck olive-greenish, this colour 

 extending on to the sides of the neck ; breast and abdomen yellow ; 

 the sides of the breast and flanks as well as the under tail-coverts 

 dull yellow, with pale chestnut or ferruginous centres, the flanks 

 also mesially streaked with black; thighs dull yellow; axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts pale yellow, with ashy bases ; quills dull 

 ashy below, paler ashy along the inner web. Total length 7 inches, 

 culmen 045, wing 3-6, tail 3, tarsus 0*75. 



Adult male in summer plumage. Much more brilliantly coloured 

 than in winter, and without the ashy or olive shading. The summer 

 dress is acquired by the wearing away and abrasion of the tips to 

 the feathers ; hence all the colours become greatly intensified. The 

 back is clearer brown, with strongly-marked black centres to the 

 feathers ; the lower back and rump deeper chestnut, without any 

 ashy margins ; the wing-coverts and secondaries have more decided 

 chestnut on the margins, and the yellow edgings to the primaries 

 are only slightly marked ; the crown of the head and nape are 

 canary-yellow, with a streak of greenish black across the forehead 

 and along the sides of the crown, widening towards the occiput ; 

 this is succeeded by a distinct yellow eyebrow ; feathers below the 

 eye and ear-coverts yellow, with a broad band of greenish black 

 along the lower and hinder edge of the ear-coverts ; sides of neck 

 pure yellow, as also the cheeks and throat, with a distinct mous- 

 tachial line of chestnut ; the chest greenish or ashy olive ; breast 

 and sides of the body uniform chestnut ; the flanks somewhat edged 

 with yellow and distinctly streaked with black ; lower breast and 

 abdomen yellow; under tail-coverts yellow, with chestnut centres. 



It is seldom that males, even when in full summer plumage, are 

 found as brightly coloured as the one described above, which is an 

 extreme example. There is generally a good deal of striping on the 



