FRINGILLIN^. 409 



Gen. Chrysomitris, Boic. 



Char. — Bill very short, broadish at the base, compressed at the 

 tip and acute ; the culmen flat ; tail forked ; otherwise as in Car- 

 duelis. 



The Siskins are a small group, nearly allied to the Gold-finches, 

 but with a peculiar style of coloration and a shorter bill. Their 

 form is short, and their plumage is black or brown and yellow. 

 The only Indian species of the genus has been separated by 

 Cabanis as Hypacanthis ; but apparently without much reason. 

 This genus is remarkable for including in it several species from 

 South America, whicli, however, arc separated by certain Orni- 

 thologists. 



750 Chrysomitris spinoides, Vigors. 



Carduelis, apud Vigors — Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pi. 32, f . 2 

 — Blyth, Cat. 673. — Horsf., Cat. 752 — Saira in Cashmere — 

 FliuzldpJio, Lepch. 



The Himalayan Siskin. 



Descr. — Male, forehead, occiput, and back of neck yellow; 

 the rest of the body above olivaceous brown ; wings dusky black, 

 with some yellowish spots on the wing-coverts, and a pale but 

 bright yellow band on the primaries ; tail dusky, the lateral 

 tail-feathers yellow, except on the shaft and tip, this color dimi- 

 nishing in quantity towards the central feathers ; beneath yellow, 

 dashed witli olivaceous on the sides of the breast and the flanks. 

 The female has merely the colours less deep, and both the back 

 and abdomen are striated with dusky olive. 



Bill fleshy ; legs fleshy brown ; irides light brown. Length 5^ 

 inches ; extent 9f ; wing 3|- ; tail not quite 2. 



This pretty little Siskin is found throughout the Himalayas. 

 It is a somewhat larger and more brightly coloured bird than the 

 European Siskin, and the bill is proportionally much stronger. 

 At Darjeeling it is only a winter visitant, but then, by no means 

 rare. It keeps to the woods, occasionally entering gardens in 

 small parties. Adams says that it is common in the wooded 



3 r 



