FEENGILLA. 233 



a broad supercilium, a streak under the eye and ear-coverts joining 

 the supercilium behind the ear-coverts, the chin, throat, breast, 

 abdomen, and under tail-coverts deep dull yellow, the sides of the 

 body greener and more or less streaked with brown ; ear-coverts 

 and a broad moustachial streak olive-green; tail dark brown, 

 margined with olive-yellow ; lesser and median wing-coverts olive- 

 green ; larger coverts dark brown, tipped and edged with olive- 

 green : quills dark brown, margined on the outer web with olive- 

 green. 



Female. Not very dissimilar to the male, but with the whole upper 

 plumage and most of the lower streaked with brown, the lower 

 plumage being also very pale yellow ; wing*, tail, and marks on side 

 of the head as in male. 



Bill and legs (in dry state) dusky flesh-colour. 



Length about 4-2 ; tail 1*6 ; wing 2*7 ; tarsus -5 ; bill from 

 gape -4. 



Distribution. The interiorof Sikhim, at high elevations, bordering 

 on Tibet *. 



Genus FRINGILLA, Linn., 1706. 



The genus Fringilla contains the typical Finches such as the 

 Brambling and Chaffinches. In this genus the plumage is much 

 variegated and in the Brambling, the only species found in India, 

 the summer plumage differs considerably from that of the winter, 

 owing to the margins of the feathers wearing away. The bill is 

 long and the culmen straight except near the tip, where it is slightly 

 deflected. 



774. Fringilla montifringilla. The Brambling. 



Fringilla montifringilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 318 (1766) ; Blyth, 

 Cat. p. 121 ; Horsf. fy M. Cat. ii, p. 491 : Jerd. B. I. ii, p. 412 ; 

 Hume, S. F. vii, p. 465 ; id. Cat. no. 752; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, 

 p. 87 ; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p. 579 ; Sharpe, Cut. B. M. xii, p. 178. 



Coloration. Male. After the autumn moult the forehead, crown, 

 nape, hind neck, and back are black with broad rufous margins ; 

 rump and the upper tail-coverts white, the sides of these black, 



* Serinus pectoralis, Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. ]90 (1884), is the 

 Crithagra chrysopyga of Swainson (^Birds West Afr. i, p. 20(5, pi. 17) or 

 Serinus icterictis, Bonn, et Vieill. apud Sharpe, Cat. B. M. sii, p. 3f>6. Tin's 

 species inhabits a considerable portion of Africa and is a very common cage- 

 bird, and it was doubtless a bird escaped from confinement that came under 

 Mr. Murray's observation. Both Mr. Murray's description and a coloured 

 sketch of the bird sent to me by Mr. Hume agree with the African bird in 

 every particular. 



Forehead, supercilium, and cheeks bright yellow ; a broad ashy band from 

 the lores through the eye to the ear-coverts ; a dark brown moustachial streak ; 

 upper plumage ashy green streaked with dark brown ; lower plumage yellow, 

 the sides of the breast ashy; wings and tail brown, margined with yellow; 

 rump bright yellow. Tail 17 ; wing 25. 



