468 FRINGILLIDE 



■with brown and black, each feather being bhick at the base 

 and brown at the tip ; scapuLars and smaller wing-coverts 

 rich fawn-colour, the latter tipped with white ; greater wing- 

 coverts jet black, tipped with fawn colour ; quill-feathers 

 black ; the primaries with narrow light-coloured outside 

 edges, the tertials broadly edged with fawn-colour ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white, slightly varied with a few black 

 feathers, which are brown at the tips ; tail-feathers black, 

 edged with buffy white, the outer feather on each side with 

 a patch of dull white on the broad inner web, the middle 

 pair shorter than the others ; the form of the tail forked ; 

 the chin, throat, upper part of the breast and sides, rich fawn 

 colour ; lower part of the breast, the belly, and under tail- 

 coverts, white ; the flanks varied with black and light brown ; 

 a small tuft of elongated feathers under the Aving, forming 

 an axillary plume, and the smaller under wing-coverts bright 

 yellow ; the other under wing-coverts white ; legs, toes, and 

 claws, light brown. 



In spring the brown tips to the black feathers on the head 

 and neck are lost, leaving those parts of a fine velvet black, 

 which the bird retains till the next autumn moult ; the beak 

 during spring and summer lead blue. 



The whole length of the male bird is six inches and three 

 quarters. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing three 

 inches and five-eighths : the first three wing-feathers nearly 

 equal in length, and the longest in the wing ; the fourth 

 feather about one-eighth shorter than the third. 



The female in winter has less black colour on the top of 

 the head ; the cheeks, ear-coverts, and neck, dull brownish 

 grey, with two dark lines dividing the sides of the neck from 

 the nape : the other colours of the body less pure, and 

 clouded with dull brown. 



Young birds of the year, M. Temminck says, have the 

 throat white, but otherwise resemble adult females. 



