LESSER REDPOLE. 51.9 



carices, or clinging to their stalks. Although numerous 

 throughout the year, even in the most northern districts, a 

 partial southern migration takes place. Mr. Audubon says, 

 " They are abundant every cold winter in the northern parts 

 of Massaclmsets and Maine, as well as in all the British 

 provinces. Large flocks visit Pennsylvania for a month or 

 two in severe winters." The Lesser Redpole in Europe goes 

 as far south as Rome in winter. Eastward from Norway, 

 this bird is found in Siberia ; and, according to M. Tem- 

 minck, in Japan. 



The beak is brown, the under mandible pale brown ; the 

 irides dusky brown ; forehead deep red ; the head, neck, 

 back, wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts, a mixture 

 of dark and light brown, the centre of each feather being 

 darkest ; the outer feather only of the small wing-coverts 

 tipped with wood-brown ; all the feathers of the greater 

 coverts tipped with pale brown, forming one conspicuous bar; 

 quill-feathers brownish black, the primaries with a very nar- 

 row edge, and the tertials with broader edges of pale wood- 

 brown ; tail-feathers not so deeply forked, or near so long as 

 those of the Mealy Redpole, but similar in colour ; chin 

 with a patch of black ; cheeks, sides of the neck, sides of the 

 breast and flanks, with dark brown streaks on pale brown ; 

 the breast strongly marked with vermilion red ; belly and 

 under tail-coverts dull brownish white ; legs, toes, and claws, 

 brown. 



The whole length four inches and one quarter. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, two inches and five- 

 eighths ; the first three quill-feathers nearly equal in length ; 

 but the second the longest ; the fourth one-twelfth shorter 

 than the third. M. Temminck, in the third or supple- 

 mentary portion of his Manual, has corrected his former 

 measurement of this bird, as given in the second edition of 

 the Manual, and now states the whole length to be four 



