THE HAWFINCHES. 33 



THE HAWFINCHES. GENUS COCCOTIIRAUSTES. 



Coccothraustes, Briss., Orn., Hi., p. 218 (1760). 



Type, C. coccothraustes (Linn.). 



The Hawfinches are easily distinguished from all the other 



Finches in the world by the peculiar form of their secondary 



quills, which are shaped like a bill-hook. They are among the 



largest of the family, and far exceed all other British Finches 



in size and in the massiveness of their bill. 



Three species of true Hawfinch are known, one (C. cocco- 

 thraustes) believed to be peculiar to Europe, another (C. japo- 

 nicus) to Eastern Siberia, Japan, and Northern China, while 

 the third (C. humii) is only known from the extreme north- 

 west of the Punjab, but may be found to range into Afghani- 

 stan and perhaps into Central Asia. 



J. THE HAWFINCH. COCCOTHRAUSTES COCCOTHRAUSTES. 



{Plate VI.) 



Loxia coccothraustes, Linn., S. N., L, p. 299 (1766). 

 Coccothraustes atrogularis, Macg., Br. B., i., p. 356 (1837). 

 Coccothraustes vulgaris, Dresser, B. Eur., iii., p. 575, pi. 175 



(1875); Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 98 (1876); B. O. U. 



List Br. B., p. 50 (1883); Saunders, Man., p. 163 (1889); 



Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt. xvi. (1890). 

 Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xii., 



p. 36 (1888). 



Adult Male. — Chocolate-brown above, pale vinous brown 

 below ; head cinnamon-brown ; sides of neck and hind neck 

 bluish grey ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts cinna- 

 mon-brown, as also the inner greater coverts; wings black, 

 glossed with purple or steel-blue ; primaries with a large patch 

 of white about the middle of the inner web ; a line of black 

 on the forehead, and throat, black ; lower abdomen and under 

 wing-and tail-coverts, white ; tail blackish brown, tipped with 

 white, the centre feathers like the back ; bill leaden blue, the 

 lower mandible flesh-colour at base ; feet greyish brown ; iris 

 white or greyish white. Total length, 7 inches; oilmen, o-8 ; 

 wing, 4-2; tail, 2*15, tarsus; 0-85. 



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