12 FRINGILLID.E. 



one has a remarkably good gun. But, on waiting a few 

 minutes, you see the flock, usually composed of seven or 

 eight individuals, descend from branch to branch, and betake 

 themselves to the ground, where they pick up gravel, hop 

 toAvards the nearest pool or streamlet, and bathe by dipping 

 their heads, and scattering the water over them, until they 

 are quite wet ; after which they fly to the branches of low 

 bushes, shake themselves with so much vigour as to produce 

 a smart rustling sound, and arrange their pluinage. They 

 then search for food among the boughs of the taller trees." 



In the male bird from which the figure was drawn, the 

 beak is dark brown, the lower mandible tinged with dark red; 

 the base of the upper mandible and the eyes surrounded with 

 a narrow band of dusky black ; the irides hazel ; the whole of 

 the head, cheeks, ear-coverts, and the neck behind, vermilion 

 red ; the feathers of the back and scapulars greyish black, 

 margined with red ; those of the rump and the upper tail- 

 coverts with broader margins of red, producing as they over- 

 lay each other a continuous surface of red colour like that on 

 the head and neck ; the wing-coverts and quill-feathers grey- 

 ish black ; both sets of wing-coverts with broad outer edges, 

 and the tips white, but tinged with red ; all the quill-feathers 

 with narrow outer edging of white, tinged with red on the 

 proximal half of the first six of the primaries ; tail-feathers 

 uniform greyish black ; the tail in form slightly forked. The 

 chin, throat, breast, and sides, vermilion red ; but the fea- 

 thers, if raised, are found to be like those on the upper sur- 

 face of the bird, grey at the base ; the belly, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts, French grey, the latter edged with white ; under 

 surface of wings and tail slate grey ; legs and toes blackish 

 brown ; the claws black. 



The whole length of the bird eight inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing four inches and a half: 

 the third quill-feather of the wing the longest ; the second 



