FRINGILLINiE. 391 



The Orange Bull-finch. 



Descr. — Male, face, wings, and tail, deep purplish black ; rump, 

 upper and under tail-coverts wliite ; the rest of the plumao-e rich 

 reddish orange ; apical half of the innermost of the greater 

 •\ving-coverts also orange ; the outer ones slightly tipped with 

 LufFy white. 



Bill black ; feet fleshy ; irides dark brown. Length 5\ inches ; 

 wing 3^ ; tail 2f ; tarsus f . 



The female has a circle round the bill black ; head and 

 neck ash-colour ; back ashy, tinged with orange red ; the lower 

 parts as in the male, but less brilliantly colored. 



This Bull-finch was found by Dr. Adams in Cashmere, in the 

 lesser ranges of hills, in thick bushy places, in small societies. 

 Its call is like the chirrup of the Green-finch. 



There are two BuU-fmches in Europe, difTcring only in size, 

 P. vulgaris, and P. coccinea. The former, which is the smaller 

 race, is the only one found in Britain. A nearly allied 

 species occurs in Japan, P. orientalis, Temm. and Schlegel. 

 Bull-finches in Europe are taught to whistle whole airs, and 

 fetch a considerable price. These piping Bull-finches, as they 

 are called, are taught by a flute or a bird-organ. Only a few 

 appear to possess a sufficiently fine ear to whistle perfectly in 

 tune. 



The following bird is as uniquely coloured in this sub-family, 

 as the crested Bunting is in its own group. 



Gen. Pyrrhoplectes, Hodgson. 



Syn. Pyrrlmloides, Blyth. 



Char. Bill bulged as in Pyrrlmla, but not so short nor so 

 broad ; tip of upper mandible sliglitly overhanging ; lower man- 

 dible very thick ; wings moderate, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th primaries 

 sub-equal and longest ; tail even, or very slightly divaricate ; legs 

 more slender than in Pyrrhula^ and more suited for the ground ; 

 claws not much curved. 



This genus, which was characterized almost at the same time 

 by Hodgson and Blyth, consists but of one species, a remarkably 

 colored and very handsome bird. "Its bill," says Blyth, as 



