74 The Mkai.v Redi'oll 



take our small, dark Lesser Redpoll separatel}-." As this appears to me to be 

 the most reasonable course to pursue, I shall do the same. Dr. Sharpe regards 

 the Lesser Redpoll (.1. n/fi-sciiis) as a subspecies of A. liiiaria, but distinguishes 

 .7. hoi iiema)i):i as a subspecies of A. exiiipe^, the latter being considered a different 

 species from the Mealy Redpoll, on account of its greyer rump. When no two 

 Ornithologists agree as to the limits of various closelj'-related t3-pes, the evidence 

 in favour of these all belonging to one species would seem to be very strong 

 indeed. Nevertheless, as regards Great Britain, the two Redpolls usuall^^ met with 

 are sufliciently distinct to be separately treated. ■- 



Dr. Sharpe gives the distribution of our Mealy Redpoll as: — "Northern Europe, 

 across Siberia to North America, wintering in more southern localities." 



To Great Britain this bird is a more or less irregular winter visitor ; Howard 

 Saunders states that it "is a regular winter visitor to Shetland, from September 

 onwards, and the track of its migration appears to be principall}' along the east 

 coast in Scotland, and the north of England, for the bird is rarer, and of more 

 uncertain occurrence on the west side. South of Durham its visits become 

 irregular; in the eastern counties it has occasionally been obtained in spring, and 

 exceptionally in summer ; and in some years large flocks have been noticed down 

 to the Channel ; but in Cornwall it is as yet unknown. In Ireland an example 

 was taken in co. Kildare, in February, 1876." (Manual British Birds, p. 182). 

 An example was shot at Achill Island, co. Mayo, according to F. Coburn, Bull. 

 B.O.U., XII, p. 15. 



The male Mealy Redpoll in breeding-plumage has the upper parts pale brown, 

 lighter on the back and sides of neck, and streaked with blackish-brown ; the 

 forehead crimson ; the rump greyish white, suffused with rose-pink ; wings dull 

 blackish ; median and greater coverts with pale brown edges and wdiitish tips ; 

 the quills and primary coverts with greyer edges and narrower tips ; tail dark 

 brown, with paler edges to the feathers, the inner webs margined with white ; 

 base of forehead and lores black ; a superciliary streak and a short streak below 

 the eye whitish ; sides of face pale brown, the cheeks slightly rosy ; chin black ; 

 throat and breast rose-pink ; remainder of under parts bufEsh-white, becoming 

 quite white on the under tail-coverts ; flanks streaked with blackish-brown ; beak 

 3-ellowish horn-colour, darker at the tip and more yellow at the base ; feet dark 

 brown ; iris hazel. 



The female is slightly smaller than the male, and has a rather broader crown;* 



* It is the general rule in birds that the sex which tniikls the nest has the broader crown, but if both 

 sexes build, the male usually has the advantage in this respect; he also then has a broader and somewhat 

 shorter bill, with less evenly tapering sides : in the typical Finches the female usually has the broader head, 

 but in the Grass-iinches, the reverse is often the case. The male also has a narrower and somewhat more 

 tapering wing, formed for speed ; so as to enable him to overtake the female. 



