CARDUELIS. 225 



through the eye over the ear-coverts brown stippled with red ; the 

 whole lower plumage rosy red, the lower part of the abdomen 

 whitish; the under tail-coverts pale brown, edged with white; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries greyish brown tinged with fulvous. 



Female. In general appearance similar to the female of P. nepal- 

 ensis, but the whole upper plumage, except the back, and the 

 margins of the wings and tail suffused with crimson, of which there 

 is not a trace in the other species ; the lower plumage much paler, 

 becoming albescent on the abdomen. 



Length about 5-5 ; tail 2-2 ; wing 3-3 ; tarsus -75 ; bill from 

 gape "55. The bill is thicker in this species than in P. nepalensis. 



Distribution. Sikhim and the eastern portion of Nepal, probably 

 at high elevations. 



Genus CARDUELIS, Briss., 1760. 



The genus Garduelis contains the Goldfinches, of which two species 

 are known, one inhabiting Europe and Western Asia, and the other 

 Central Asia down to the Himalayas. The Goldfinches are charac- 

 terized by a long, slender, straight and sharply pointed bill, long 

 wings, the bright red colour of the face, and the bright yellow on 

 the wing. The sexes are very closely similar. 



767. Carduelis caniceps. The Himalayan Goldfinch. 



Carduelis caniceps, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 23; Gould, Cent. pi. 33, 

 tig. 1 ; Blytk, Cat. p. 124 ; Horsf. £ M. Cat. ii, p. 493 ; Jerd. B. I. 

 ii, p. 408 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. ii, p. 61 ; Hume, Cat. 

 no. 749; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 85 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 578 ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xii, p. 189. 

 Shir a, Hind. ; Saira, Kashm. 



Fig. 61. — Head of C. caniceps. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead, chin, and the cheeks next the bill 

 crimson ; lores black ; upper plumage ashy brown, becoming whitish 

 on the rump ; upper tail-coverts white; lesser, median, and primary 

 coverts with the winglet black, sometimes with ashy margins ; 

 greater coverts chiefly bright yellow ; primaries and secondaries 

 black, with a considerable portion of the outer webs of all but the 

 first primary bright yellow, the inner webs margined with white ; 

 the tertiaries each with a large oval white mark on the outer web ; 

 tail black, the two outer pairs of feathers largely white on the inner 

 webs, the two middle pairs tipped white; throat ashy white ; sides 



VOL. II. Q 



