LINNET. 157 



A very fine male in full summer-dress lias the bill of a 

 l)luisli lead-colour but paler at the base of the lower man- 

 dible : the irides hazel : the feathers immediately above the. 

 bill, on the lores and round the eyes, light dusky ochreous ; ' 

 those of the fore part and top of the head glossy blood-red y 

 those of the rest of the head, the ear-coverts, nape and sides 

 of the neck, brownish-grey, more or less distinctly streaked 

 with a darker shade ; the back and upper wing-coverts, 

 nearly uniform rich chestnut-brown ; bastard-wing and coverts 

 of the primaries brownish-black, edged with hair-brown ; the 

 primaries and secondaries dull black, outwardly edged with 

 white, which on the fifth, sixth and seventh is broad and 

 very conspicuous during flight, the secondaries are also tipped 

 with greyish- white ; the tertials dusky, with their outer web 

 dull chestnut-brown ; upper tail-coverts brownish- black, 

 broadly edged with ochreous-white ; tail-quills black, nar- 

 rowly edged with white on the outer and broadly on the 

 inner web ; chin and throat greyish-white, streaked along the 

 middle with greyish-brown ; breast glossy rose-red, passing 

 into light chestnut-brown on the sides of the body ; belly 

 and lower tail-coverts dull white ; flanks yellowish-brown : 

 legs, toes and claws, brown. 



Such an example as is above described is not very often 

 to be met with. Most commonly the fine carmine of the 

 cap and of the breast is replaced by a brownish lake-red, 

 clouded with rufous-brown — the feathers on those parts not 

 having wholly shed their fringe of the latter colour ; brown 

 prevails on the occiput and neck, and pale browuish-ochre on 

 the throat and belly, while the back is darker ; but it would 

 seem that the red tints continue to brighten as the summer 

 proceeds until the whole plumage is changed at the autumnal 

 moult.* 



In autumn and winter the bill is brownish horn-colour : 

 the crimson wholly disappears from the cap and the breast ; 

 the feathers of the head, cheeks and ear-coverts, are dark 



* What is known among birdcatcliers as the "lemon", "saffron" or 

 "sulphur " -breasted Linnet occurs not unfrequently near Brighton, Mr. Rowley 

 thinks in the proportion of about one to fifty. In this the crimson of the breast 

 is replaced by a fine lemon-yellow. 



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